Rebirth of Souls
by Artificer Urza
Summary: A new millenium is about to dawn upon the world. Some say that this will herald in a new age... Others say this new dawn will bring the end of all things, Who speaks the truth and who has the courage to change what fate has in store? an Original story
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Breath of Fire is the property of Capcom. Characters in this story are my creations and thus belong to me. These characters are fictional; any resemblance between persons living or dead is purely coincidental. Any and all comments shall be answered in the review board of this story. Enjoy!  
  
Prologue  
  
Lightning lit up the night as a storm broke in the sky overhead and thunder resounded loudly. Not a great concern, as many were asleep in their comfy beds. However, in a great and ancient cathedral, deep within the archives of its grand library, one lone monk watched the dancing thunder outside the windows. The flashes of lightning illuminated Row upon row of books. This was the largest library in the world; even if the monk only stood in a corner looking out a single window, the room itself was immense. As lightning flashed once more, the massive silhouette of someone else within the archives was revealed.  
  
"Things have changed, since you were last here." The monk says to the other figure. "It has been thousands of years since the Brood wars, thousands of years since your... er, 'death' wouldn't be the right word, now would it? Things have changed greatly since those times; people travel with cars and planes as opposed to horses and ships, they live in apartments of brick and mortar instead of houses of stone and wood. Towers of glass rise to touch the sky and people can communicate over great distances with telephones and fibre optic Internet connections... And this all sounds like gibberish to you doesn't it? The greatest change, I suppose, is that no one uses magic anymore. It has been relegated to stories and fairytales; with nary a soul to believe it exists. Except those of us who practice it of course."  
  
The figure, which was leaning against the wall behind the monk, let out a sigh. He looked out the window as another bolt of lightning flashed, followed by a crash of thunder.  
  
"And yet, some things never change. The borders created by the existence of the clans has dissolved; their peoples live side by side, separated by borders of country, not race." The figure said, his deep baritone voice rumbling as much as the thunder outside. "But they still fight amongst each other, they still inflict pain and hurt on one another. They need someone to protect them from themselves and from the dangers they themselves don't know exist, as was my duty last time I walked this plane of existence. It is... Ironic that I'm fighting on Her side again after everything she did last time... Or, perhaps it is fate?"  
  
************************************************************************  
  
"Do the human mind and soul create fate? Or is free will destiny's illusion?" Master Tae of Young Sung temple (Rebirth, volume 5, by Kangwoo Lee) 


	2. Nina Wynd

Chapter 1: Nina Wynd  
  
Yuletide, a season of celebration, of family and friends; many peoples used that day to celebrate the birth of their countries. To celebrate, lights are put up all over the cities, people put up trees in their homes and decorate them and upon Yuletide day, people exchange gifts. It is a time of joy and fellowship, kindness towards ones fellows, unless you happen to be shopping in which case it's a free-for-all fight to the death. Some people say that it is a warm up for the New Years celebrations that are a week after Yuletide, but then the celebrations for the coming year are very special, for this was the last year of the millennium. For the past few years, all manner of doom saying prophets had come out of the works, predicting that the New Millennium would herald the end of the world while others said it would herald the end and then a new beginning. Of course the three major religions disregarded these prophets as deluded, however, no one ever said they were wrong. The majority of people were more concerned with living their lives and, at the moment, the approaching holidays. For instance...  
  
A young woman with blonde hair and green eyes, lithe and aesthetically pleasing to the eye, wearing a purple winter jacket and winter boots, was sprinting through the downtown streets. She carried to bags, full of wrapped gifts, suggesting she had just finished a round of yuletide shopping and she appeared quite flustered and a bit panicked. The brick apartments, business buildings and skyscrapers seemed even colder with the sun behind grey clouds and it was snowing again. Granted, medium to heavy snowfall was quite common in the winter in this region, but it wouldn't officially be winter until Yuletide Day. Fortunately, the Environmental Department of the city had already begun clearing the snow on the streets, but because of the rather large snow banks created by the snowplows, the sidewalk was rather crowded.  
  
The woman hopped over a snow bank and ran across the street, praying to whatever deities would listen that she would not get run over by a car. She passed through the glass, revolving door of a building and headed straight for the nearest elevator. She bit her lip and looked about frantically as she repeatedly pressed the button in the vain hope that the elevator would get there sooner. Giving up, she dashed to a door and opened it, running as fast as she could up the stairs. As the door closed, the elevator door opened awaiting someone who was no longer there.  
  
~SOL (1) Nina~  
  
My name is Nina Wynd; I live in the city of Winlan, in the Rhapala region of the country of Windia. I'm twenty-one, I live by myself in my apartment and this... well this was me trying to get back to my little cubicle, hopefully before anyone important noticed I wasn't back from my lunch break. I work in the accounting department for a Rhapalan shipping company; the pay is nice and the hours are okay and I don't usually slack off like that, but... well I didn't honestly think I'd be gone as long as I was. I had taken my lunch break so I could do some shopping for Yuletide and... well, I kinda lost track of time, so I had to run back.  
  
~ End SOL~  
  
Nina reached the fifth floor of the building and entered the main hall of that level of the building. She walked over to the door, took out a card and swiped it through the scanner to unlock the door. She walked through the halls and past cubicles, each with at least one person in it, working on projects. She came to a corner and looked down the hall on the right, making sure no manager or her own boss was around so she could sneak into her cubicle discreetly. She reached her cubicle without incident, removed her jacket, hanging it up on the wall, placed the bags under her desk and then she went into the neighbouring booth to briefly visit a fellow worker.  
  
"Hey Liss." Nina greeted to the compartment's inhabitant.  
  
"Nina... Drew was here." She said, looking away from her computer.  
  
"Oh crap... What did he want?" Nina asked, worriedly.  
  
"Nothing... until he saw you weren't there. He said he wants to see you in his office as soon as you got back." Liss said with mock pity in her voice. "Did you have to be gone that long?"  
  
"Well... I lost track of time, but I wasn't gone that long; just an hour past the end of the lunch hour..." She replied sheepishly.  
  
"Well you know Drew... a real pain in the ass with this kind of stuff. Say, while you were out, did you get me anything?"  
  
"Yeah I did, but don't open it until Yuletide." Nina smiled.  
  
She went to her cubicle; retrieved two wrapped presents from her bag of gifts and removed the diskette from her computer. She gave the larger wrapped gift to Liss and walked, a bit grimly, towards Drew's office.  
  
"Good luck." Liss called out.  
  
Nina entered the office and saw a middle-aged man at a desk, typing away at a keyboard. This was Drew, the manager for the accounting department of this division of Rhapala Shipping incorporated.  
  
"You... uh... you wanted to see me, sir?" Nina asked nervously.  
  
Drew looked up from his work and Nina cast her eyes downward. To him, she looked like a child caught doing something bad.  
  
"You weren't here when I walked by your cubicle, care to explain?" He asked.  
  
"Well... um... you see I was shopping and kinda lost track of time..." She said, rubbing the back of her head, grinning nervously.  
  
"Look... I don't care that you weren't here, but it shows bad work ethic. You know the holidays are our peak times. We need all of our departments working their best, even on the last day of work. If you had completed your work..."  
  
Nina casually tossed the diskette onto his desk, which made him stop his little tirade. He picked up the diskette and looked at Nina.  
  
"What's this?" He asked.  
  
"My work." She said calmly.  
  
"Completed?"  
  
"I wouldn't have given it to you otherwise... I was planning on giving it to you when I got back anyways... I just lost track of time." She replied a bit smugly.  
  
"Be that as it may..." He began again.  
  
This time Nina carefully placed the small wrapped gift on his desk and again he paused. He picked it up and looked at her questioningly.  
  
"That's a Yuletide gift I picked up for you while shopping today, sir. Hope you like it." She smiled.  
  
"Err... O-kay... I guess you can go back to work... um... just don't repeat your mistake." He said a bit flustered.  
  
Nina returned to her workspace, a smug smile on her face. She went to her computer and opened her e-mail; there wasn't anything for her to do now, after all, she had finished her work. There was only one new e-mail message and it was addressed to everyone in the department.  
  
'Due to the fact that it is the last day before the holidays and that everyone has mostly finished their work, you may all take the rest of the day off. Happy holidays to you and yours,  
Andrew Valifor.'  
  
Apparently others were looking at their mail as well as Nina heard a building of celebratory noises from throughout the office, cubicle walls being rather thin after all.  
  
"Suck-up." Liss laughed.  
  
"Awww you're just jealous 'cause you didn't think of it first." Nina replied putting on her jacket.  
  
She reached into a pocket and pulled out her cell phone, using the second number she had on speed dial.  
  
"Honey, are you busy?" She said answering the inquisitive hello on the other end. "Can you pick me up? Sure... you wanna go to Lenn's, they shouldn't be finished yet. Great, see you in a few."  
  
Nina put her cell phone away, picked up her two bags full of gifts and left.  
  
*******************  
  
In an apartment across town, five people played music in a homemade studio, with the latest of technology. They ceased playing as they were finished that song.  
  
"That was pretty good." A Woren man said.  
  
He had black hair and dark eyes, wore a red t-shirt and black pants and he had a decent physical build, but still rather lean. Like most Worens those days, he had mixed blood (2), but still had the feline pointed ears and tail; his had black fur of the same colour as his hair. He was sitting at the drums.  
  
"Fehhhhh... Need a glass of water over here." A fox-girl said rubbing her throat.  
  
She had more rust coloured hair and violet eyes; she wore a halter-top and tight fitting jeans. Another mixed blood, she had long fox ears and a bushy fox tail same colour as her hair, except that the tail had a white tip. One could look at this girl and the word 'vixen' would come to mind, not because of her race, but rather because of her appearance. She stood before a microphone as the singer of the group.  
  
"Can you guys do one more?" A woman in the studio booth asked.  
  
She had dark skin and hair, like one who came from a race of people who had evolved in a tropical sun. She was seemingly a pure human. She had a voice that seemed to have a musical tone when she spoke and every word seemed almost a musical note from her lips. She wore a light blouse and dark pants. She monitored the sounds and recorded the music from her position behind the glass, the console before her controlled every part of the music output.  
  
"I don't know about you guys, but this is just one of the things I could do all night." A human said, leering at another woman.  
  
He had short spiked hair, which was dyed red and a goatee. He wore a white t-shirt and blue jeans as well as a silver necklace with a religious symbol around his neck. He had a good physical build. He was also human. He played an electric guitar.  
  
"Do you want me to slap you?" The girl asked.  
  
She had long white rabbit ears, long silver hair; pale skin, red eyes and she wore glasses. She was an albino rabbit. She wore ripped jean shorts and sleeveless, white shirt. She was simply beautiful, having an athletic, but voluptuous physique. Many men would willingly sell their own souls to sleep with her. She sat behind three sets of electronic keyboards, which could produce a variety of synthetic sounds.  
  
"You know you want me." The human male sang out.  
  
"Now cut it out you two. Don't make me send you to the corners." The dark skinned one said.  
  
Suddenly the door opened and Nina walked in accompanied by a red haired man. Unlike the other one, this one had naturally red, long hair and was clean-shaven. He seemed taller than the others and very powerful physically. He wore a long black coat, a black sweater, black pants and black boots. Even if he did seem physically imposing, he seemed kind, caring.  
  
"Hey Nina, got off work early?" The Woren asked.  
  
~SOL Nina~  
  
These are my very best friends. The Woren is Migel Diaz, but we call him Lastic (3), because he is freakishly flexible. In the band he can play a variety of music and instruments, but he really prefers to play jazz on piano. He also practices Capoeira, which is a style of martial arts dance. I've never seen him use it against another person though.  
  
The fox girl is Kitsune FoxFire. Lastic calls her his kitkat and if anyone else calls her that, they'll find themselves eating the floor. Sometimes she does vocals in the band, but she prefers a saxophone. She and Lastic are... what would be the most polite way to say it? A couple, I guess. They've been best friends since before I can remember and they started dating in high school.  
  
The loudmouth on guitar is Rick Burke (4), but really he isn't such a bad guy, he just jokes around a lot. He's a jack-of-all-trades you could say, especially since he works for Ranger Inc. and they hire out their employees like mercenaries, no job is too small. He can play almost any guitar, but he prefers the bass guitar. Rick, Kit and Lastic own a jazz club together and the apartment above it. Between the club, Rick's contract jobs and the club itself and these small gigs, they somehow manage to keep the place going.  
  
The albino rabbit is Rin; she's a real genius. Everything in this little studio, the keyboards the console that controls the music output all that techno stuff, she created. She doesn't go out much, except to find parts for her computer or other projects she's working on. She put that keyboard together too, it can synthesize any sound, or so she says. Since she graduated high school she's been taking courses over the Internet and using video conferencing to take university courses. She's also working for some big name company as a programmer. She hardly ever leaves her apartment, I think she's really shy, but then she probably thinks I'm really nosy.  
  
The dark skinned woman is Lenn. This apartment is Rin's and hers; they converted the living room into a recording studio for the band. Kit introduced us to her when we were trying to get the band started. She's a compositional genius, but beyond that she doesn't have any musical talent; she can't play a musical instrument or sing worth shit unfortunately. That's why I think her parents moved away from Tunlan, I heard you can't speak with them unless you use a musical instrument.  
  
And the charming, handsome, brave and strong man, who is oh-so-mine, that escorted me here? His name's Joshua. We've been dating for a few years now and he sometimes stays over night at my apartment, if you catch my drift. I'm not sure, but I think he works for law enforcement or something, but he won't tell me no matter how many times I ask him.  
  
You're probably wondering what I do in the band, which is called Breath of Fire, by the way. Well, I'm the manager, 'cause I've got the connections. I can get the CD to producers and people like that, because of my Dad. The name 'Wynd' carries a lot of weight in all kinds of places because he's an important business tycoon. I wanted to get as far away from him as possible, to live own my own strength, but I find myself running for that name every now and again.  
  
~End SOL~  
  
"If I hadn't I wouldn't be here, Lastic." Nina said. "Please don't tell me your done for the day?"  
  
"Nope, got one last to do before the CD is finished. You ready Kit?" Lenn said.  
  
Kit nodded, Lenn flicked switches and the music (5) began and Kit began to sing.  
  
"What can I do for you?  
  
What can I do for you?  
  
I can't hear you...  
  
What can I do for you?  
  
I pictured myself somewhere far in my heart that day  
  
It becomes dark in the distance, but I can no longer return  
  
The shape I saw in my dream  
  
Is different from everything...  
  
I become dizzy from reality  
  
The feeling of swaying in the real world  
  
I don't want to lose...  
  
The only thing I can feel from my heart is to run  
  
You are not alone...  
  
What can I do for you?  
  
I can't hear you...  
  
What can I do for you?  
  
I won't turn back, I won't rely on you  
  
Because if something happens, you'll always come to me quickly  
  
The only thing I can do now  
  
Is to believe...  
  
The truth is in my heart  
  
The feeling of swaying in the real world  
  
Holds me up...  
  
You taught me everything I know, that is me now  
  
So, I am not alone...  
  
What can I do for you?  
  
I can't hear you...  
  
The feeling of swaying in the real world  
  
Even if you feel it...  
  
If you close your eyes, I will be there...there is a bond between us  
  
So, you are not alone...  
  
The feeling of swaying in the real world  
  
I don't want to lose...  
  
The only thing I can hear from my heart is to run  
  
You are not alone...  
  
What can I do for you?  
  
I can't hear you...  
  
What can't I do for you?  
  
I can't hear you..."  
  
The music died down and Kit looked at Lenn expectantly.  
  
"That was perfect, guys. Our first CD... finally finished." Lenn smiled.  
  
Kit and Lastic embraced, Rick cheered and Rin smiled quietly. They didn't notice the ringing of Joshua's cell phone. He spoke briefly and cursed as he hung up. He tapped Nina on the shoulder to gain her attention.  
  
"What's up, lover?" She asked.  
  
"Bad new, sweets." He smiled sadly. "I just got a call from work and... there's this big job they need me for overseas... I wont be around for the holidays I'm afraid."  
  
"What? Not even for New Years? But what if something happens?" She said worriedly.  
  
"You don't really buy into that doomsday shit do you? Nothings gonna happen, just keep my presents in one piece until I get back, okay?" He said, kissing Nina on the forehead before walking out.  
  
"Well... crap. Hey guys, can one of you give me a lift home?" Nina smiled sheepishly.  
  
**********************************************************************  
  
"Keep watch only for the giants and you'll be eaten by the ants." (Sneaky Homunculus, Magic: The gathering)  
  
Music for this chapter: 'Real Emotion' (Final Fantasy X-2)  
  
1)- SOL: Scenario OverLay system, a reference to Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter. In this case it is used to indicate a change of narrator to one of the story characters. In most cases it will be Nina. Since they are looking back on the events, it will still be, for the most part, in the past tense.  
  
2)- The clans and their powers have diminished greatly due to breeding with other species. These days some clans are indistinguishable from regular humans. For instance, those of the Wing Clan (Windians) have completely lost their wings. However, there are still clans that retain some of their animal appearance, such as the Woren or Forest Clan.  
  
3)- The character Lastic is based on an artist friend of mine named Lastic the Cat. It's a sort of thanks for drawing some stuff for me.  
  
4)- The character Rick is based on my little brother Ricky. Why? Because I felt like it.  
  
5)- This song is the translation of the song 'Real Emotion' from FF X-2. Proving once again, that when it comes to music, I am a listener and not a composer. 


	3. Nameless

Note: This story has many sources of inspiration among which is Dark Siren's 'Reborn Again'.  
  
Chapter 2: Nameless  
  
Light streamed through the curtains as the sun began its climb of the day. It was a simple bedroom with little adorning it. The walls were a sky blue colour, dotted with white, giving the impression that one was flying. A sunbeam flashed through the window onto Nina's face and she murmured and rolled over, still asleep. She opened her eyes groggily, stretched and yawned. She got up to open the curtains and looked at the snow-covered cityscape that lay outside her window. She lived in the housing district of Winlan, so there were apartment buildings and houses as far as she could see; the apartment she lived in was the tallest structure in this district and she lived almost on the top floor so she had a good view of the surrounding area. White snow covered roofs and grass and it sparkled in the awakening sunlight. Sunlight reflected off the amulet she wore which now rested on her chest and she lifted it into the light so she could look at it as she did every morning. It was a family heirloom, which had been passed down in her family for countless generations. A teardrop shaped piece of glass in a gold setting and within that glass was a white feather with a brown tip (1). Nina looked over to the clock, which read eight thirty as the time. She smiled softly and proceeded to get dressed.  
  
After getting dressed she prepared herself breakfast, which consisted of cold cereal. In her left hand she held a spoon and in her right there was a pencil; with the sketchpad next to the bowl she used this time to eat and sketch out scenes from her dreams. It had been a practice of hers since she was a young child and now, as a young adult, she felt her skills were adequate for one of her hobbies: painting.  
  
After breakfast she put her dishes in the dishwasher and went to her studio. In fact it wasn't really an art studio, but rather the living room she had converted into a studio. The walls, floor and ceiling were white and the light illuminated the room perfectly. Her paintings decorated the walls, some were finished others were mere sketches, all of them had a fantasy motif as dragons and/or angels were represented in each picture. These were inspired from legends she had heard and dreams she had; she didn't know why but those stories of yesteryear with heroes and villains, princesses and knights she loved the best. A bygone world where good fought evil and won, a world of fantasy by today's standards, where corporate tycoons crushed the hopes of dreams of the little guy and religion made puppets of the common person...  
  
'Hah, maybe I should try writing poetry with lines like that.' Nina thought to herself.  
  
She sat on a stool in the middle of the room, a nearly finished painting before her. It depicted a woman with wings standing on the edge of a cliff during sunrise, a dragon's silhouette in the far background. She only needed to put the finishing touches on it before it was ready to be brought to a small gallery she knew downtown. She had made some paintings for them before and was decently paid for them, considering she was relatively unknown as an artist. Between her regular job and the painting she could afford a very nice apartment and still have money left for extra things.  
  
It didn't take her long to finish the painting and as she put it in a protective case, so she could easily bring it to the gallery upon the morrow, the phone rang.  
  
"Hey, Nina. It's Kit, you busy?" Kit said in hushed tones on the other end of the phone.  
  
"Uh... Why are you whispering?" Nina asked.  
  
"The guys are still sleeping, the club was open till three last night."  
  
"And yet you're up at this hour. How do you do it?"  
  
"Coffee... lots of it. So do you think you can give me a lift today?"  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"Shopping. I still haven't gotten a gift for Lastic and Rick yet." Kit said sheepishly.  
  
"Fine, I'll be there in a few."  
  
The only real reason that Nina had a car was that sometimes the subway and bus system of Winlan was convenient as one would like. Nina arrived at the jazz club that Kit, Lastic and Rick lived above. The front door was only the entrance to the club and not to the apartment they lived in, there was another entrance for that via the fire escape on the side of the building. Nina climbed the metal ladder and was about to open the window to get in when Kit opened it, putting a finger to her lips, indicating silence. They both left the building and headed for the business district.  
  
"So why do you need me anyways? The business district isn't that far from here." Nina asked as they looked for a parking space in the business district.  
  
"You wait until now to ask? Well I wanted someone else's opinion on the gifts that I was getting and Lenn and Rin aren't exactly the most... er well they never go out anyways except for really special occasions." Kit shrugged.  
  
The business district, a place where people went to work, shop, eat out and generally conduct various forms of business. This district was famous for its huge malls and small shops; if you were looking for something either rare or common, if you couldn't find it in this district, it didn't exist. Cars were not allowed within the district proper, too many people walking around going from shop to shop, from mall to mall, so there were huge parking lots; Nina was fortunate to find a parking space just one snow laden alley crossing away from the district proper. Of course since it was close to a holiday, there were hundreds, thousands, possibly even millions (2) of shoppers filling the district, many of them tourists; this number of people also brought something else other than business: doom saying prophets. As Nina and Kit entered the district, it wasn't too hard to spot several of them in the middle of a crowd preaching the end of the world.  
  
"REPENT, SINNERS!" One rag dressed old man cried out.  
  
"TURN TO GOD, OUR SAVIOR!" One rag dressed old woman cried.  
  
"THE END IS NIGH!" Cried a rag dressed young man.  
  
"TURN TO EVANS AND SAVE YOUR WRETCHED SELVS!" Cried a rag dressed young woman.  
  
Each carried a large sign with 'The End is Near' painted on it with four keys, each pointing in a different direction, forming a cross, the symbol of the Brotherhood of St. Evans.  
  
~SOL Kit ~  
  
I admit I'm not the most religious person in the world, so I think I can look at these groups objectively and say they're all nuts.  
  
Well maybe not all of them, those who follow Ladon seem pretty relaxed, but they're an exception. Myria's followers are hardcore pacifists; they will only defend themselves or their books, but will never, ever fight. I know fighting is bad and violence only begets more violence and crap like that, but still not fighting at all even when you're being attacked is ridiculous.  
  
Then there is the Brotherhood of St. Evans... I don't know really, their teachings are nice but the followers really give me the creeps. They're nice and persistent and absolutely outta their friken minds; sure they're nice, but they really want you to join their religion and they are sooooo aggressive about it.  
  
Funny thing is that ever since these nuts with the doomsday signs started showing up, the number of followers of the Brotherhood of St. Evans started to increase a lot.  
  
~ End SOL ~  
  
"O-kay moving right along." Kit said, dragging Nina away from the crowd.  
  
They went down a street of specialty shops, each being different and unique. Kit suddenly stopped in front of a shop and her face adopted an expression of intense desire at the windows contents.  
  
~ SOL Nina ~  
  
There is one thing I haven't mentioned about Kit. She's usually a very nice person, but there are a few things that get her... well, excited: one is religion; another is when people try to mess with her friends, family or her club and the last thing are guns. The girl is a regular gun nut.  
  
~ End SOL ~  
  
Kit stood at the window marvelling at all the guns, but her gaze came to one piece most often.  
  
"A 314 Vesper (3)! There were only five of those made." She exclaimed.  
  
"Stop drooling over it. We don't want your face to get stuck to the window." Nina said, prying Kit away from the gun shop window.  
  
"B-but... awwww, don't ruin my daydreams you." Kit said with a half disappointed, half amused tone. "Hrmph... Looks cloudy today. Matches my mood right now."  
  
The sky was indeed dark with clouds, but it did not seem as though the weather itself was bad. It was cold enough so that water would freeze and one could see one's breath, but warm enough to be out and about. At least, it was until it started hailing (4); hail the size of golf balls started raining down, forcing all to take shelter. Kit laughed as she saw the prophetic nuts from before get hit with several hail stones. Nina and Kit dashed into the first shop they saw. Once inside and safe from the hail, they looked around; the shop was filled with books and pieces of jewellery as well as mystic objects used for divination, voodoo and other forms of magic. One thing stood out though, next to the main counter, which had a red curtain behind it, there stood a sort of metal golem creature. It seemed to be some sort of armour meant for someone with a very heavy body. It almost seemed to be alive, with those goggle-like eye slots.  
  
"Welcome, the winds of magic are whimsical today. How may I help you?" A voice from behind the curtain said.  
  
The curtains parted and a woman of exquisite beauty came forth. She had a youthful face, but her eyes seemed an ageless, deep blue. He hair was indigo and long, bound in a sort of topknot with a purple band with gold trim. She wore golden, transparent shawls and seemed like a mystical gypsy from a fairytale.  
  
"Um... We didn't come to buy anything. We were just avoiding the hail." Nina said.  
  
"It isn't hailing." The woman stated.  
  
Nina and Kit turned and looked outside; it was not hailing any longer. Nina blinked, confused; it should have hailed more than that, at least so it seemed to her. Kit shrugged and went back to browsing the shelves.  
  
"Since you are here, perhaps you would care to buy something, or have your fortune told?" The woman asked.  
  
"Ah... not that's okay miss..." Nina began.  
  
"Deis and it's alright, this is just for amusement, you don't have to pay." The woman said.  
  
"Hey Nina, look at this." Kit called her over. "Beautiful, isn't it?"  
  
Nina looked at the piece Kit was referring to, a silver dragon amulet, curled about a tear-shaped gem.  
  
"That is called the Dragon's Tear. In the right hands it has great magic power." Deis said.  
  
"It looks like those pieces that are sometimes sold as good luck charms. Those are pretty cheap." Nina replied looking at the jewel.  
  
"This is the original and even if it wasn't it's still made of materials far more expensive than those cheap knockoffs." Deis said. "Now... about that fortune."  
  
Nina looked at the Dragon Tear a bit longer; it seemed of a far greater quality than any of those cheaper versions she had seen, but she had finished her shopping anyways, there was no reason to buy it. She put it down and walked over to Deis' counter, figuring that since it was a free reading she had nothing to loose.  
  
"So how shall you devine my future?" Nina asked with a cheerful, though sarcastic tone. "Tea leaves? Casting Rune Stones? Astronomy? Crystal ball gazing?"  
  
"For someone who seems so cynical on fortune telling you know quite a few ways to do it." Deis commented. "And I will be using tarot cards (5)."  
  
Nina blushed a bit; it was true she knew a lot about this kind of thing, but only because it fell into the category of 'fantasy'. She watched Deis shuffle the cards with expert grace and skill. Deis stopped and picked a card off the top, laying it on the counter. There was a princess with a gold cup as the image of the card.  
  
"Princess of Cups. That is you, my little Querent; a daydreamer, creative and curious. A teller of tales and one who listens to tales as well." Deis said, glancing up at Nina.  
  
Nina said nothing, it was pretty accurate, but nothing to be overly concerned about. It was vague enough to refer to anyone really.  
  
"Shall we look into your present situation?" Deis asked, laying another card down on the counter.  
  
The symbol was that of a female angel by a river and two cups with water flowing between them.  
  
"Temperance. You seek balance in your life, between your art and your work, between your social life and work life. You seek harmony."  
  
Nina shifted uncomfortably. This was creepy and accurate, but she still felt that it was all bullshit. Deis smiled mysteriously and picked another card from the deck.  
  
"Your future." She said, laying another card on the counter.  
  
It was a tower on a rocky outcropping being struck by a bolt of lightning; several figures tumbled from the tower and waves crashed below.  
  
"The Tower. Its simplest interpretation is change, quick and abrupt. The tower stands for false concepts and institutions that we take for real. You're going to get the kind of revelation that shakes your beliefs to their very core, possibly even bring them down all together. This isn't good or bad, change is never either, but it this will be a time of trial for you."  
  
Nina said nothing; she really didn't like where this was going. Life was enough of a pain in the ass without that kind of trouble... but of course fortune telling was bullshit and thus she didn't have to worry about it. Didn't she? Deis lay another card on the counter, a lone figure dressed in a robe, carrying a sheathed katana in his left hand and lowering the brim of a straw hat over his eyes. He traveled in a barren land. Nina could not see the character's face, but the card scene reminded her of the old samurai films she loved.  
  
"Where he walks, he walks alone. Where he fights, he fights alone. The Hermit will figure prominently in your future."  
  
Deis laid three cards on the counter; one was a princess with a pentacle above her head; another was a prince, wand in hand and the last was a chariot with an armoured warrior, being led by a black stallion and a white stallion, the sun at his back.  
  
"These are your allies during this time: the Princess of Pentacles, one who builds, one who shapes. She has a good mind for things like money and is at times serious and practical. The Prince of Wands, charismatic, who never slows down and always goes for grand gestures. Last is the one closest to your heart, your lover I would say. The Chariot, bringing opposites together, struggling to keep those opposites going in the same direction; with absolute control over himself, he is loyal and faithful, but he fights alone."  
  
Nina immediately thought of Kit as the princess of pentacles, despite the way she acted she was always serious and she did have a good head for things like money, considering she kept an eye on hers, Rick's and Lastic's finances. The prince of wands was Lastic, he always seemed to be doing something and he never thought small. The Chariot, could it be Joshua? Nina didn't see how. Deis took three cards from the deck and placed them on the counter. One was a man hanging upside-down from a tree, his hands across his chest. His face appeared quite peaceful and his free leg was bent to form the number four. The next was a beautiful woman who sat on a glorious throne, there was something mysterious about her smile that suggested she knew things others did not. The last was a winged, horned devil upon a black pedestal, a naked man and woman chained at his feet, an inverted pentagram above the devil's head.  
  
"These are your adversaries. The Hanged Man, one caught between worlds, between heaven and earth, spiritual and physical, life and death. The High Priestess, one who hides knowledge. She holds the answers to many questions, but she may not answer. Last is the Devil, a creature of power, controlling and aggressive. But do not take the image of the card as the literal appearance of whom you shall face." Deis concluded.  
  
"You know something? I think this is all bull. Your just another hotline psychic." Nina said calmly.  
  
"It is your prerogative to not heed these signs, but I ask that you take these." Deis said, handing Nina another pack of cards. "These cards, different from tarot cards, have great power in the right hands. Take them, you owe me nothing."  
  
Nina took the cards and turned around. Kit was examining the suit of armour.  
  
"Something up Kit?" Nina asked.  
  
"I... I could have sworn this thing moved." She said. "I found something to get for Rick, I'll just pay for it and we can leave."  
  
The two left and after they did, Deis looked at the armoured golem and glared. The suit looked almost like it would have and embarrassed sweat drop on its head.  
  
"I brought you to my home world and you almost blew my cover..." Deis glared at it.  
  
****************  
  
After a long day, Kit and Nina parted ways; it wasn't far to get back to Kit's little apartment after all. It was dark and Nina stood before the alleyway where she had to cross to get to the parking lot where her car was.  
  
"Hmmmm... Dark alley... Night... Attractive, unarmed girl... Screams wouldn't be heard over nearby traffic... Shit! Sounds like the plot of a bad movie doesn't it?" She said to herself.  
  
Nina, though reluctant, had to go through the alley. As she walked through it, she say a thug coming towards her from one end of the alley. She turned around, but another thug had cut off the other end.  
  
~ SOL Nina ~  
  
Admittedly I was scared, I was the only one there, so they could only be coming for me. I wasn't about to let these two assholes take me though; I'm not some shrinking violet. So I did the only thing I could: I charged the one who was between the parking lot and me and kicked him in the family jewels.  
  
~ End SOL ~  
  
The thug fell to his knees, clutching his crotch in agony. Nina tried to run, but the second thug came up from behind her and grabbed her, pinning her so that she could not escape. The first thug staggered to his feet and backhanded Nina across the face. She fell to the ground, hurt, but more angry than anything else.  
  
"Fucking bitch!" The first thug snarled at her.  
  
"Hey! What the hell do you think your doing? You can't break her before we've used her." The second thug complained.  
  
The first thug was about to reply when he spotted something at the other end of the alley. A man was approaching, slowly, methodically. He wore a long grey coat, it seemed old, not in terms of age, but in terms of style, as though it were something a duke or official would have worn several centuries ago. He wore a white shirt beneath the coat, brown pants and black boots also in similar style, it looked almost medieval. A hood was drawn over his head, so it was difficult to make out his face (6). He carried a sheathed katana in his left hand; the sheath was midnight blue with golden draconic designs. The hilt of the sword was made of gold and pommel, gold as well, was in the shape of a dragon's head.  
  
"I'll take care of this. You keep an eye on the bitch." The first thug said moving towards the approaching figure. "Hey man. I'm sure you don't want trouble, so just turn back the way you came. Unless of course you want to join in, then I'm going to have to ask for payment though."  
  
The stranger said nothing. He reached out and grabbed the thug by the head and shoved him into the wall. The thug's head impacted so hard that cracks formed in the wall and he fell unconscious. The other thug kicked Nina away from him and took out a gun.  
  
"Son of a bitch!" He yelled opening fire on the stranger.  
  
The stranger dodged the shot and as he did so his hood fell, revealing long blue hair, bound near the end. He had a handsome face, but it seemed devoid of all emotion and expression. The thug fired at him again and again, but the stranger zigzagged across the alley, dodging all shots. When he was in close, the stranger knocked the gun out of the thug's hand with his sheathed sword, then punched him in the gut, causing the thug to bend over in agony, the stranger then struck the thug's face with his knee and end with a roundhouse kick to the head, sending the thug flying behind him, crashing into the snowbound ground.  
  
"What the fuck are you, man?" The thug said as he turned onto his back.  
  
The stranger said nothing as he turned. He brought up his blade before him and slowly unsheathed it.  
  
~ SOL Nina ~  
  
'Your executioner' were the words that came to mind when he pulled out his sword. I don't know really, but I was more afraid of what that guy was going to do to the thug than of what the thugs were going to do to me. Sure, they should be punished, but this seemed a little extreme and, well, I didn't want the stranger to do it for some reason. I was still surprised by what I did next though.  
  
~ End SOL~  
  
Nina grabbed the stranger's arm just as he was about to bring the sword down upon the thug.  
  
"STOP!" Nina cried out. "He's done and was about to do bad things... but that doesn't give you the right to end his life."  
  
The stranger looked at her, his eyes devoid of emotion, his expression had yet to change, and he lowered his sword. The thug, terrified, got up ran off to drag his companion away and escape as best he could. The stranger looked at where they had gone and began to walk in that direction.  
  
"Wait!" Nina said.  
  
The stranger stopped and looked back at her. Nina saw him in a profile view and was startle by how much he looked like the figure in the Hermit card she had seen earlier.  
  
"Um... ah... D-do you have a place to stay?" She asked nervously. "You can stay at my place... er y'know as payment for... uh saving my life?"  
  
'Aghhh... why did I say that? Why did I say that? I don't know this guy, he could be a killer for all I know.' She thought to herself. (7)  
  
The stranger turned around and joined her, walking towards the parking lot.  
  
"My name is Nina... w-what's your name?" Nina asked.  
  
"I don't have a name." The blue haired stranger said for the first time.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
"Though it moves like a living thing, anyone can tell it lacks a soul... not to mention mercy." (Hollow Warrior, Magic: The Gathering)  
  
Music: 'Auron's theme' (Final Fantasy X)  
  
1)- This is a reference to the amulet the Wanderer gave Nina in my story 'Requiem of Souls'  
  
2)- Downtown Montreal is like this a week before Christmas.  
  
3)- I don't know guns, so I get types and names from anime shows.  
  
4)- Hail: for those of you who live in a warm climate and don't even know what hail is, it's ice balls that rain down from the sky under certain weather conditions and boy do the larger ones sting when they hit.  
  
5)- I know a bit about tarot cards, but not enough to actually tell fortunes, so I just made the cards fit the future I wanted, it's probably totally wrong. Its Crowley style tarot cards in case you're wondering.  
  
6)- For a visual reference, the stranger's character design is similar to Deshwitat from Lee Kangwoo's manga, 'Rebirth'.  
  
7)- This irked me. What I wanted to do was have them part ways here and meet again latter on, so it would seem more realistic, but my brain just wouldn't cooperate. Sometimes I wonder if I control my characters or if I'm simply recording their actions. 


	4. A Dragon by Any Other Name

Chapter 3: A Dragon by Any Other Name  
  
The city of Rubicant, in the province of South Cape, of the Country of Valvalis, the brthplace of the modern-day Urkan religion. It had always been a place where crime was higher than most, but not in terms of mugging or violent crimes. Rather, it was smuggling and drug trafficking where Rubicant made its mark in the world. It was a port city and thus could make its illegal goods cross oceans and even transported them to the Manillo people deep beneath the ocean's surface. An ocean apart from Winlan of the Rhapala region of Windia and yet, there were things in that city which connected it to people and events yet to take place in Winlan.  
  
In a section of the city of Rubicant, colourfully nicknamed 'Suicide Slum', there were many warehouses, most dedicated to the trade of illegal materials. One part, closest to the docks, had been used for cocaine shipments to the Manillo, was heavily guarded due to attacks against the traffickers of late. With an army of thugs inside and outside the building, they were absolutely confident that no one would be foolish enough to attack.  
  
"So all a this is going to tha' fishes?" One thug asked another.  
  
"Yep"  
  
"How the hell can you snort coke under water, anyway?"  
  
"Yer new ain't ya?"  
  
"What's that got to do with anything?"  
  
"If ya weren't new, you'd know not to ask stupid questions. Yer asking the wrong guy anyways, go ask the fishes when they come for the goods"  
  
"Whatever... hey, isn't it kinda quiet all of a sudden?"  
  
It had gotten quiet, once there were small conversations coming from outside the warehouse, but now nothing. Everyone within began to tense up, expecting the police or some crazy vigilante to burst in any moment. Instead the lights shut off and the warehouse became dark, nothing was visible. Suddenly, the sounds of fighting broke out and shots were fired, but it was impossible to tell who was attacking and from where. Suddenly it grew quiet again and the two thugs who had been speaking earlier looked around, trying to see, trying to determine if there had been a victor or if they were now in greater danger.  
  
"What the fuck happened?" One thug asked nervously.  
  
"If I were you, I would not wonder what had happen, but rather what was going to happen." A voice said from behind them.  
  
The two thugs turned, but could not see who it was who spoke (1). Whatever it was, it towered above them and all they could really see of it was two glowing bleu lights high above them. The two thugs turned and ran, hoping to get away from the assailant. They heard a whooshing noise above them and the ground shook a bit as something large and heavy landed before them.  
  
"Frost Strike!" The assailant called out as metal impacted with the floor.  
  
A chill wind blew from a point before the figure, enveloping the two thugs and not only were they chilled to the bone, but their bodies grew lethargic and they fell unconscious. The figure turned and left through the roof, the place where he had entered. He looked at all the bodies, none of them dead, all this wrought by his hand. The authorities would soon arrive to take these thugs away, so beyond what he had already done, it was not his concern. He looked up at the stars, it was a clear night, and he felt something had changed in the world, something elusive and yet familiar.  
  
"I wonder..." The figure mused. "Is it time once more for the dragon to awaken?"  
  
***********************  
  
Nina dreamed again and this was a dream she had before, a dream that increased in frequency as the New Year approached. She stood on the edge of a cliff overlooking a cloudy valley, the bottom of which could not be seen through the clouds. Two immense serpentine dragons rose from the clouds below, intertwined about each other. They looked like the eastern dragons she sometimes painted, one was black and the other was white. They vied for dominance over each other, each trying to climb higher than the other and both snapping at each other with their massive jaws as they rose. It was impossible to tell if this was a sort of good-natured rivalry or open hostility. As they now towered over Nina, the white one's jaws clamped down hard on the black's neck and red blood spurted from the wounds, but the white would not let go. In response the black bit down upon the white, drawing blood and it would not let go either. She wanted to call out, to stop them, but she could say nothing. She saw, on an opposing cliff, a beautiful man with long blond hair, he wore black armour laced with white bones, had black feathered wings and even from this distance she could see his eyes, which were the colour of crimson flame. This 'angel' leapt into the air, flying towards the dragons, taking out a large, black scythe as he did. Using that weapon he beheaded the black dragon and then the white, watching as the huge bodies fell into the milky, white mist below. He turned his gaze upon Nina and she could see the calm, malevolent look on his face. He threw his scythe at her and she could not move away from the spinning weapon. Just as it approached her, she woke up with a start.  
  
She was breathing hard and was bathed in a cold sweat, she really hated that dream and she always remembered every detail of it, right down to the look in the 'angel's' eyes as he threw the scythe at her. She clutched at her amulet, holding it always comforted her and then she got up and went to get dressed. Today she had to wear something a bit more fancy as she was having a meeting at a art house. She selected her clothes carefully and while she now had a definite professional appearance about her, she still managed to look casual. As she left her room she heard the T.V., apparently her guest was up early.  
  
"...Another murder occurred in a Brotherhood of Saint Evans church, in what the media has dubbed the St Evans murders. The church interior was covered in black, oily sludge-like substance and the body was discovered nude, but no sign of rape has been found. The body has one stab wound to the chest identical to the other St. Evans murders. Doctors have yet to perform an autopsy so we are unsure if the stab wound is the cause of death. Previous autopsies have revealed that the victims had not died of the sole stab wound to the chest and were in fact dead long before the wound had been inflicted upon them." The reporter said on the newscast.  
  
The stranger sat on the couch watching the screen. He held his sword, still in its sheath, in both hands. In truth it looked more like he was gazing at the pommel of his sword rather than the news.  
  
"Have you been there all night?" Nina asked, for it looked like he hadn't moved an inch.  
  
She moved to touch him, her hand going for his. He turned to her, suddenly, as her hand approached his and it almost looked like he was glaring at her.  
  
"Don't. Touch. The. Sword." He stated and she pulled her hand away quickly.  
  
"Um... ahhh... Wou-would you like to come with me today. I... There's a painting I have to bring to a gallery." She said nervously.  
  
She had no idea how to react around him, let alone any idea what to call him. He said very little and seemed, not unconcerned, but more or less emotionless. He shrugged, pretty much an indication that he would indeed go with her.  
  
"Ahh... Would you like something to eat?" She asked.  
  
"I do not require any sustenance." He replied tonelessly.  
  
"O-kay then... Right... I'll just have breakfast and we'll leave then." She said going into the kitchen.  
  
~SOL Nina~  
  
The stranger... Honestly I had no idea what I'd gotten myself into or the things it would change. I'm not sure that if I knew then what I know now that I would do things differently. What I never understood is why he never seemed to feel anything; even when he got hurt, it was like he barely noticed it... of course he never got hurt all that often. If he truly didn't have emotions, I feel sorry for him and maybe that's why I took him in, because I felt sorry for him. I'm still not sure about that...  
  
~End SOL~  
  
The two left, heading downtown where the gallery was. It was the neither largest nor most popular gallery in town, but it had a variety of art, a place where beginners had the best chance of showing off their art and maybe even hitting the big time. At this time of year many people would visit the gallery, even a few critics among them. Nina and the stranger paid for entrance and worked their way through the small crowd.  
  
"Nina, babe, good to see you again." The manager greeted them. "If you've got the painting, we can discuss business in my office."  
  
"Yes of course I have it." Nina said, indicating the suitcase she had, containing a painting she had done. "Umm... If you could stay here, look around, I'll be back in a moment." She said to the Stranger.  
  
The manager and Nina went off, leaving the stranger to look at the paintings. He seemed drawn to the ones Nina had done. All of them had a dragon and angel motif as they all had depictions of dragons or winged people or both. They were done with an expert hand, not often seen even by masters' standards. In those instances where there were more people in the picture, the faces were blurred. One particular piece drew his attention; the title was simply 'Ryu' and it was an ink drawing of a dragon (2). There were no details to it; it was really just a silhouette of a dragon done on white paper, however, it seemed to be rather popular as there was a large crowd around it. Nina, after making a rather lucrative agreement with the manager, joined the Stranger.  
  
"Where did you see this?" He asked.  
  
"Nowhere... I paint what I dream and this one... well, I dunno, I just drew this one day, off the top of my head. Although, since you seem to like it how about I call you 'Ryu'?"  
  
"Why 'Ryu'?" He asked.  
  
"Well... You like this picture and its title is 'Ryu'. Ryu is the word for 'dragon' in another language, dragons have great strength and power, or at least they do in the stories and you seem to have that kind of unfathomable strength." Nina said. "Do I really need a reason? 'Sides I don't know what else to call you."  
  
The newly named Ryu shrugged, what he was called wasn't important to him.  
  
"You are very infuriating, you know that?" Nina grumbled.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
"We always look upon our first creations as masterpieces, no matter how awful they are." Hanna, Weatherlight navigator (Jangling Automaton, Magic: The Gathering)  
  
Music: "Certain Victory Lotus Sutra Tune" (Hellsing RAID CD)  
  
1)- I haven't described this guy for a reason. I will eventually, but not yet. Some people might be able to guess who it is or maybe not.  
  
2)- This looks like someone drew the silhouette of the Dragon Tear jewel from Breath of Fire 2 with ink.  
  
Sorry this chapter is shorter than the others, but I couldn't write anymore for these scenes. The next one will be longer, I think, as we begin to glimpse at the true evil that exists in the modern BoF world. 


	5. Mark of the Dragon

_Chapter 4: Mark of the Dragon_  
  
Every city in every country has sections they don't want to acknowledge, where their refuse, both living and otherwise, can usually be safely hidden away. Unfortunately, such places were havens for the less desirable elements of society: criminals, sociopaths, killers, rapists as well as the poor, the misbegotten and the unfortunate.  
  
At sundown, the police had come en masse to lay siege to a supposedly abandoned hotel complex in Cheju (1) City of the Soltace Province of the country of Evrai, the home of the Brotherhood of Saint Evans. The criminal that the police had cornered in this building was a serial rapist and murderer; this man would abduct under-age girls, have his way with them and then kill them. That man was wanted for the murders of eleven girls in that year alone, this would be his twelfth, if the police didn't stop him. The police, however, were not going in; the commissioner didn't want to accidentally hurt the girl that had been kidnapped. Snipers were stationed in adjacent buildings in hopes of taking out the criminal long distance. An ambulance was on standby in case they did get the girl out and she was hurt. The commissioner was arguing with his lieutenant about the fact that they were just standing there waiting for something to happen. As they argued, a long stretch-limo pulled up. The commissioner ceased his argument with his subordinate and went to great the man who exited the limousine. The man wore a black trench coat, a black vest with a white shirt underneath, black pants, black boots, a tie, clasped with a silver religious symbol, which he adjusted with his white gloved hands and atop his head was a black, wide brimmed hat.  
  
"What's the situation?" The man asked.  
  
"Agent LaCroix (2), I'm glad you came as soon as you did... We've been hunting down this child molester for sometime now and now that we have him cornered, we've run into... er... problems." The commissioner replied.  
  
"It can't be simple child rapist if you have called for our help." LaCroix said.  
  
"Right... see we could take him down easily, except that there's a Blood Seal on the door. No one can get in, we've tried." He said in hushed tones.  
  
LaCroix looked at the building and the other officers. He scanned the area looking for something or someone unseen.  
  
"So... He's a Chongyom (3) then. I assume that you haven't told your officers what they're dealing with?"  
  
"Yes... as far as they know, it's for the child's safety that we aren't going in yet and they've been told you are a special agent from the FBI, as per our agreement with your organization."  
  
"Have any Nikanoru been spotted, any incidents that would lead to their creation reported?"  
  
"None at all. If it wasn't for the Blood Seal, I'd never have known it was even a Chongyom we were dealing with."  
  
"Just him then... strange. Fine, I'll deal with it, just keep your people out of my way until the job's done." LaCroix said, walking forward.  
  
As LaCroix passed the officers, the lieutenant that had been arguing before walked up to the commissioner.  
  
"So you're just going to let him go in there?" The lieutenant demanded.  
  
"Yep."  
  
"B-but... he's alone what can he do?"  
  
"He's a professional, he'll do the job and no one will get hurt... as long as we stay out of his way. I wouldn't expect the perp to come out alive though..." The commissioner replied.  
  
LaCroix came to the front door and placed his hand upon it. He could feel the dark energies of the seal. It was indeed a Blood Seal, not that he doubted the commissioner's judgement; officers in that position in this country were trained to recognize such things. The Seal, a rather powerful one too, was created to keep everyone but blood relations of the building's inhabitants out; bullets wouldn't even pierce the windows. Fortunately, LaCroix had a key for this lock.  
  
"_Na Mo Pa Ka T'I,_

_Na Mu Pa Ka Pa T'I Yi, _

_Sa Chyu Ya Ku Ru Pa I Du Ru Ya,_

_P'U Ru Pa Ha Ra Chya Ya,_

_P'U Ru Pa Ha Ra Chya Ya,_

_T'A T'A Ka T'A Ya Sam Myak Sam Pu Ta, _

_Ya T'A Du Ya T'A Om, Pa Yi Sa Chya, _

_Pa I Sa Chya Pa I Sa Chya, _

_Na Mu Ka T'E Sa Pa Ha_!"  
  
The incantation (4) was old, powerful and could break many magic seals depending on the strength of the user. The Blood Seal shattered like glass before LaCroix's power. He took a couple of steps back and then kicked down the door. The door burst open, the door almost coming off its hinges. As he entered the building the commissioner prevented his men from following. It looked like the interior of a once rich hotel with high ceilings and red carpets, but it was badly in need of maintenance. LaCroix walked down the corridor and through another door. He could sense the demon and could, in fact, navigate the building blindfolded with just that sense alone. He stopped in the middle of that corridor; there were several doors as well as an elevator on each side, with the door to the stairs at the end of the corridor. The lights were on, barely, and the place was pretty run-down. Shadows were everywhere and not just those cast by the light.  
  
"Come on out, I haven't got all night." LaCroix said.  
  
Shadows, lesser demons created by a form of magic, separated from the walls. As the name 'shadow' implied, that was indeed what they looked like: humanoid, two-dimensional things made of fathomless darkness. Only their eyes and mouths stood out with a fiery red colour. LaCroix glanced around and saw he was completely surrounded by theses things. He smiled confidently, reached into his vest and pulled out a rather large, silver handgun, a 454 Cassull and aimed at one of the leading Shadows. The creatures looked at him and seemed to laugh, for what mortal weapon could harm them after all. LaCroix pulled the trigger and a loud bang resounded. The bullet struck one of the Shadows and if it could have made any sounds it would have shrieked before its body collapsed into a mushy black goop. The gun and bullets may have been man-made, but they were designed specifically to kill demonic creatures. The bullets were made of a silver alloy, melted from a holy cross and had been blessed with holy magics; they were more than capable of killing demons with a single shot.  
  
The Shadows looked at where their fallen comrade once was, back to LaCroix and then they rushed him. Just as the throng of darkness converged, LaCroix jumped above them and fortunately the ceiling was high enough for him to pull such a stunt. Twisting in the air, he fired off more bullets at his enemies, each a perfect shot. He landed on the floor, skidding a bit and he aimed his weapon strait up, firing on a Shadow that was trying to take him from above. He moved out of the way quickly to avoid the falling demonic residue. He had used an entire ammo clip to eliminate these Shadows and he hadn't wasted a single shot. With a flick of his thumb, he released the ammo clip, which slid out of the gun handle and onto the floor. With a quick, fluid motion he retrieved another one and loaded it into his gun. He then put it away as he would not need it for the Chongyom.  
  
In a once lavish room, a bedroom large enough to hold at least twenty people was the criminal and his intended victim. The girl, who could be no older than fourteen, was bound and gagged on the bed. Tears flowed from her eyes; she was terrified and she wanted to see her family again. She prayed to St Evans to let her see the light of day again. The criminal, a burly human with dark, oily hair and a handsome face, appear4ed to be someone whom you could trust implicitly without having known him; apparently a mistake as they had met over the internet and this man had coerced the girl into meeting him at which time he had abducted her. He was about to have his fun with her when he turned suddenly, as though listening to something. He closed the curtain of the bed, obscuring the girl's view.  
  
"Don't want you getting traumatized before I have my fun. The sight of blood will take the pleasure out of you." He laughed.  
  
He walked up to the door, listening. He heard rhythmic, slow and continuous footsteps approaching the door.  
  
"What the fuck?" He asked silently, approaching the door.  
  
The door exploded, shards of wood splintering and lodging themselves into his face. LaCroix walked through the door.  
  
"You just made a big mistake, asswipe." The criminal said.  
  
He charged LaCroix and tried to punch him. LaCroix caught the fist and smashed him across the face with the back of his own right fist. The criminal reeled and then charged again. LaCroix delivered a crushing blow to his nose; he could feel the cartilage and bone crush beneath his fist. The criminal fell back a few steps; his face was now pushed inward and no one would mistake him for handsome now.  
  
"Garbage..." LaCroix sneered.  
  
The criminal screamed, more from anger than from pain. LaCroix delivered several blows to his gut, finished off with a kick to the side of his head and he went crashing to the ground.  
  
"You know what I love about my job?" LaCroix asked of the fallen criminal. "I get to hunt down shit like you for a living. "Now cut the crap. You're a lousy actor. Get up and fight."  
  
The criminal began to laugh as he got up to face LaCroix. The scleras of his eyes were black and the pupils and irises were a fiery crimson. His skin seemed to darken to black and began to bubble as though it were under extreme heat. His flesh became a network of thick veins and he grew taller, his hands becoming claws, his teeth elongated and sharpened, now reminiscent of shark's teeth. His clothes were absorbed into his body as he grew; the criminal was now a demon, no longer human.  
  
"Garbage, barely worth my time." LaCroix smirked.  
  
The demon attacked and LaCroix dodged easily. As he landed he pulled back on his gloves and smiled.  
  
"Since you seem to be putting effort into this, I guess its only fair I do the same." LaCroix said.  
  
LaCroix began to incant 'Diamond World and Nine Assemblies Mandala' (5) and as he spoke each character his hands came together in positions representing each character.  
  
"_IM PYONG T'U CHA KYE CHIN YOL CHAE CHON HAENG_!"  
  
His turned his palms towards the demon after the last character and white light surrounded by black lightning streamed from his hands into the demon's chest. White light exploded in the room and when it cleared all that remained of the demon was an expanse of sludge that covered the floor. LaCroix walked over to the bed and opened the curtain. He broke the girl's bonds and picked her up gently.  
  
"It's alright, no one will hurt you now, you're safe." He consoled her.  
  
The girl began to cry, LaCroix brought her outside and handed her to the paramedics. The commissioner came up to him.  
  
"I thank you for your help in this job." The commissioner said. "Glad we can count on the Brotherhood of St Evans."  
  
"That's why we're here." LaCroix replied. "Its our job."  
  
A white van pulled up to the hotel, the Brotherhood clean-up crew; they would clean up the remnants of the demon and the Shadows that had been its cohorts. LaCroix ignored them; the leftovers weren't his problem anymore. He got into the limousine and picked up the phone.  
  
"How did it go?" A voice on the other end asked.  
  
"It was too easy, sir." LaCroix replied.  
  
"I'm glad you feel that way, because it will get much harder from here on out. Demons far stronger than that one have been making their appearance in this area recently. I need you to dispose of them."  
  
"As you wish, sir."  
  
"I knew I could count on you Joshua (6)." The voice said.

Nina drove into her neighbourhood; she had just finished getting one last gift, something for Ryu. She had gone back to Deis' shop in the Business District to get that Dragon's Tear from her. It hadn't cost her much, despite the fact that the piece was exquisite, but Deis had not been interested in the money so much as she had been interested in the fact that Nina had wanted it. Now Nina had her last gift and was headed home. She was also thinking about what to do about Ryu.  
  
-SOL Nina-  
  
I'm grateful to Ryu, but I knew I couldn't just keep him. Once the holidays were over I was planning on helping him find a job and then eventually his own place. The Dragon's Tear was the thank you for saving me, but I couldn't just leave him like that it just didn't seem right, you know?  
  
-End SOL-  
  
She pulled into the next street and something caught her eye. Ryu was walking in the opposite direction of her apartment.  
  
What's he doing? Nina thought.  
  
She parked the car, locked it and ran after Ryu, trying her best to remain unseen by him. He was so focused, so intent on his target, that she could have been walking right beside him and he would never have noticed.  
  
They passed buildings and small privately owned and home businesses, hotels, apartments and houses. A veritable melting pot of different types of construction, they came to a church of the Brotherhood of St Evans and Ryu went inside. The huge monolith of a building was made of white stone and sparkling marble with coloured glass in the windows that were its unblinking eyes. It was constructed in a way to awe the public, to make it seem above the physical, almost heavenly. Nina didn't like these places, they seemed hell-bent on convincing people that they were these great bastions of spiritual fortitude; to her they seemed very pretentious.  
  
Nina entered the church and almost gaped at how high the ceiling was. It was heavily decorated with paintings on the ceiling, with gold lining the white stone walls; statues and sculptures were by the walls. The pews were made of sturdy oak and intricately carved and there was a pulpit and golden organ at the front. It all seemed very expensive and Nina wondered why the place hadn't been robbed. A noise caught her attention and she looked forward to see Ryu facing a woman dressed in black. She took a step forward; she wasn't sure how much noise she actually made, but it was enough to alert Ryu to her presence for he turned slightly to look at her.  
  
"You shouldn't have come here." He said calmly.  
  
"Ryu, LOOK OUT!" Nina screamed.  
  
Ryu turned in time to see a huge claw grab him. The woman had somehow extended her arm and made her hand grow into the large claw that now held Ryu. She lifted him off the ground, her long arm seemed to bend a bit as she did and she slammed him into the pews. Wood shattered, broke apart as Ryu crashed into them. The woman retracted her arm, her forearm inflated as she did so. The clothes burst apart and her skin melted slightly, becoming a black oily sludge. Both of the woman's forearms had become huge and her hands had become massive claws and the rest of her body began to grow as well. Her torso become a massive ball of sludge-like flesh on a small waist, the legs were stubby, but heavy, to support the body. The thing the woman had become had become was skull-like with an eternal smile and the nose looked like it was melted away. She grew a tail with a bone blade at the end of it, like a scorpion's tail and it was aimed at Nina. Whatever the woman was now it wasn't human.  
  
"Oh crap..." Nina said upon seeing the creature.  
  
A loud click was heard and Nina turned; the huge doors of the entrance were closed and now locked.  
  
"Oh fuck..." Nina exclaimed.  
  
The monster roared and Nina turned; it was coming for her and there was nothing she could do.  
  
"Oh crap fuck!" She screamed and closed her eyes as the monster's tail blade descended upon her at incredible speed.  
  
She heard the sound of metal cutting through flesh, bone and sinew and she looked; Ryu had leapt to her rescue, cutting off the thing's tail. He landed and sheathed his sword in one swift movement, turning, leaping and grabbing Nina, jumping out of the way as the monster smashed its fist into the ground where Nina once was. They landed in the undamaged pews and Nina looked at Ryu. Blood was streaming down his face, but the way he acted it was as though he hadn't been wounded at all. He took her hands, arranging one into a fist and placing the other just above it, like a roof.  
  
"Don't move your hands from this position." He ordered her.  
  
"Are you kidding me? That won't do... anything?" Nina said as she looked up.  
  
The demon's claw was poised just above them, but for some reason would come no closer. Ryu leapt at the demon, unsheathing his sword, slashing at it. The creature reared back and roared and focused its attention solely on Ryu. Ryu stood in the centre of the room, his sheathed sword before him, floating in the air. He began to chant, his hands coming together in positions indicating each character he spoke.  
  
"_Yim Byong Too Ja Geh Jin Yeur Jeh Jeun Pa_!" Ryu incanted (7).  
  
He spread his hands before himself, palms facing the beast and a great black light, surrounded by white lightning streamed from him towards the demon striking it. The demon seemed to puff out a bit, swelling like someone was inflating it and then it exploded. Black sludge went everywhere except on Nina, this little hand formation thing had protected her, somehow. She stood up and looked; the woman was human again, naked and lying on the ground before Ryu. He looked back at Nina.  
  
"Do you want to die? I told you not to undo the Mudra (8)." Ryu said.  
  
"But its okay now, right? You defeated her... didn't you?" Nina asked coming forward.  
  
Ryu took a few steps towards the fallen woman who was now getting up again. He unsheathed his sword and thrust it through the woman's chest. She didn't make a noise and collapsed again. Ryu sheathed his sword once more. Nina stood there, shocked and then grabbed Ryu by his coat.  
  
"What the hell did you do that for? She was beaten!" She yelled at him. "You didn't have to do that!"  
  
"Nikanoru continue to rise after they've been killed, as long as the demon seed exists." Ryu said, brushing Nina's hands off him.  
  
"Ni-ka-no-ru? What's that?" She demanded.  
  
"It means 'Dead Beings'. They are created by demons from weak-willed people as slaves." Ryu replied, walking away.  
  
Nina looked back at the scene and back to Ryu. Realization dawned on her as she found the scene slightly familiar.  
  
"You killed them... those other people, the St Evans murders. They... those people, they were Nikanoru too?" She asked as she dashed after him.  
  
"I did not kill anyone, one cannot kill what is not alive. The demons had already killed them when they became Nikanoru." Ryu said.  
  
Nina looked back at the church. This was not something she could report to the police, they would never believe her and this... this was far bigger than she had ever thought possible. This was not something she could talk about, she knew. They went back to Nina's apartment and Nina got some of Joshua's clothes from when he'd stayed there last for Ryu: Ryu and Joshua were about the same size. Ryu began to disrobe in her living room; Nina would have objected right away, but was rather mesmerized by the musculature of his body. He had powerful, tightly packed muscles, the prefect male specimen. But what intrigued her the most was a tattoo on his back: it was a black dragon, designed in a similar manner to the Dragon's Tear trinket she'd bought, except the dragon tattoo's eye was closed. It looked almost alive, like it would open its eye any moment and leap off his back. Nina shocked herself out of her reverie.  
  
"H-hey!" She yelled. "Don't change here, go to the bathroom, clean off and then change! Gods, don't you have any modesty?" 

* * *

"In the name of God, impure souls of the living dead shall be banished into eternal damnation. Amen." Hellsing Prayer (Anime: Hellsing).  
  
Music: 'Survival on the Streets of Insincerity' (Hellsing RAID CD)  
  
1)- Cheju: "The southern most island on the Korean Peninsula. Now a popular tourist destination, Cheju also contains one of the great mysteries of the ancient world. Scattered around the tropical paradise are 45 great stone statues called Tolharubang or 'Stone Grandfathers'. Like the Moai of Easter Island, each one is carved with a unique expression, and like the Moai, no one knows how old they are, who built them, or for what purpose." Griffin Smith JR. (National Geographic Vol. 157). This place also contains a wealth of stories of demons, such as the Chongyom and the contract God Penjullae.  
  
2) & 6)- LaCroix, the literal translation is 'The Cross'. Joshua LaCroix, remember him? He's Nina's boyfriend from the first chapter.  
  
3)- Chongyom: Gives humans sexual powers and is widely classified as a demon. It often appears in representative oral literature such as Miscellany of Songhyon and Historical Record of the Three Kingdoms. It is the vicious demon that appears on the first wedding night to rape the new bride or to impregnate a widow to banish her from the village. It may be added that Pak Yonggu, the author of Bizzare Tales of Korea (1996, Somunmungo), writes as an introduction "Chongyom's lust is hotter than the pillar of fire in hell and if there is a beautiful woman, he will follow her to the summit of Paektu Mountain to destroy her purity."  
  
4)- The incantations Joshua uses is widely called 'Mantra', the language of the Third Universe. They imply dozens of meanings and each syllable contains a spirit. All the incantations actually exist but I want to make it clear that their effects are fictionally exaggerated.  
  
5)- IM (to face; front on), PYONG (soldier), T'U (fight; to fight), CHA (person), KYE (all; whole), CHIN (position; formation), YOL (column; row; line), CHAE (existence; to exist), CHON (front; in front of; before): This is called 'Diamond World and Nine Assemblies Mandala.' This is a religious art and, in magic, it's called the incantation of nine characters.  
  
6)- See LaCroix.  
  
7)- Both Joshua and Ryu use esoteric, existential spells, in other words the same type of magic. However, the source of their respective powers is different: one draws from the light, the other draws from the darkness. Can you guess which is which?  
  
8)- Mudra: this hand gesture incorporates magic. It is used by a specific religion, who's name escapes me at the moment. If anyone knows what it is, I'd appreciate the information.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. In case you are impatient for the next one, please keep in mind that I work and am writing two other stories besides this. You are free to check out my other stories if you wish to see more of my work.


	6. Decadence of God

_Chapter5: Decadence of God  
_  
Most scholars concur that the world is far older than is known; the world was dotted with ancient ruins, temples dedicated to deities long gone. A greater number still are hidden beneath the ground, some filled with treasures, but all filled with secrets. One such ruin, hidden deep in the earth, far away from the prying eyes of public, media and foolhardy adventurers, served as a meeting place for three powerful individuals. Its walls of ornate stone had been long since restored, light from chrysm lamps shone through stain-glass windows, who once looked out into the blue sky, but now looked out into infinite darkness. Pillar statues, designed in the image of Herculean men and women supported the ceiling and the statues above the doors reminded all who entered that they were always being watched by their deity. Three individuals (1) entered the room, their footsteps echoing on the marble floor as they walked towards the round table in the centre of the room. The leader took his place in the largest chair as his two companions took their places at equidistant points.  
  
"What is the status of the project?" The leader asked.  
  
"We are currently in the second phase of the project and all candidates have been deployed. There have only been a couple of failures in the initial testing, but we are still well within expected projections." The one on the leader's right said.  
  
"The experiments have reached a complete bonded state with a success rate of ninety-six percent." The individual on the leader's left said.  
  
"Only ninety-six percent?" The leader demanded.  
  
"We have been unable to find a multitude of adequate specimens for testing and materials are precious as we must save them for the third phase. We can only do so much. Besides, until testing is complete we cannot begin perfect the process."  
  
"I don't care what excuses you have, I want results and a perfected process."  
  
"Still, ninety-six percent success rate... isn't that excellent progress for the current phase?" The one on the right asked.  
  
"I remind you both that as of New Years Eve we are on a schedule and we all know the consequences if we fail to meet that schedule." The leader said coldly.  
  
The one on the right hunched slightly as though brooding and the one on the left shifted slightly, an indication that they were both well aware of the consequences of failure.  
  
"Since you do not have enough materials I shall increase production. Will your candidates be able to handle that?" The leader said, turning to the one on the right.  
  
"As long as they are not overwhelmed by the sheer number. I shall increase the number of candidate training and acceptance and shall participate myself, if only to harvest materials." The one on the right responded.  
  
"Will that suffice?" The leader asked the one on the left.  
  
"We shall see."  
  
"Is there anything else?"  
  
"The materials that were promised have arrived." The one on the left said.  
  
"You mean... him?" The one on the right asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"And your assessment is?" The leader asked.  
  
"He's too powerful for all but the greatest of the candidates and even then... I am unsure if we should include him in the project at all." Was the reply.  
  
"Keep him around, just in case we do have a suitable candidate. What of the Dragon?"  
  
"Current activity suggests the Dragon is now in Winlan of the Rhapalan region of Windia. It has begun to seriously impede production in that area."  
  
"And the materials?"  
  
"Completely unusable, which is why production is down in that area." The one on the left replied.  
  
"Any thoughts upon how to correct the problem?" The leader asked.  
  
"Can we stop production in that area, transferring it to somewhere else?" The one on the left asked.  
  
"No, that would arouse the Dragon's suspicions and h would simply move to another area. We should decrease production in that area, but not stop it completely. We should leave a token resistance to keep him occupied, but it should be weak so that he does not grow stronger. What we need is a way to judge his strength." Said the one on the right.  
  
"Can we not just send in our strongest and eliminate him?" The leader asked.  
  
"If we sent in our strongest and the Dragon prevailed, the Dragon would grow stronger for it. Besides, all suitable candidates for such a task are undergoing testing; we can spare no one."  
  
"What about the rogue?" The one on the left pointed out.  
  
"The rogue?"  
  
"Yes, he is detrimental to the project. This way we can eliminate him and gauge the Dragon's strength, two birds with one stone."  
  
"Will he be strong enough to adequately test the Dragon?" The leader asked.  
  
"He doesn't have to be; he's crafty, that's why he is a rogue. If I have your approval I shall send an Observer to manipulate him into confronting the Dragon immediately."  
  
The leader nodded his approval and, the meeting concluded, each rose from their seats and left the room.

----------------"Go to your room young man!" A woman yelled at her son.  
  
The boy slammed the door to his room and sat upon the bed, his emotions smouldering. Today had simply been the worst day in his young life. First his teachers give back tests which he finds he had failed, then the other kids tease him and bully him for being dark skinned and then the teachers give him detention because he was standing up for himself against the bullies and now his own mother grounds him for the same reason the teachers gave him detention. He sat in his room, thinking over the events and his temper did not cool, as his mother hoped, but rather his thoughts continued to descend down a dark road.  
  
'They're all against me.' He thought. 'They want to hurt me and keep me from being happy. I wish they were all dead, I want them all to burn.'  
  
As he continued to think dark thoughts, his fervent wish became more of a prayer to God. His mother most certainly would have disapproved, saying that God was not a granter of wishes, but He did not care he wanted them all to die.  
  
"Oh Juan... Juaaaaaaaan." A voice called to him.  
  
"Who's there?" He asked, his reverie broken.  
  
"Do you really hate them? Do you want to be happy? Do you want them to suffer?" The voice asked.  
  
"Yes! I want them to burn in hell!" Juan replied furious.  
  
The shadows in his room darkened, one to near complete opacity and that particular shadow came alive, writhing off of the wall and taking a vaguely humanoid shape before the now frightened boy. The thing extended a hand to Juan and suddenly he no longer felt afraid.  
  
"I am your friend, Juan. I can give you what you want, I can bring you to a place where you'll have friends, people like you and I can give you power to shape your life as you choose." The thing said inside Juan's head. "All you have to do is cast off your former life and agree to come with me... Will you?"  
  
Juan considered for a moment. He knew it would mean never seeing his family or even this building again, but he wanted it so badly. He wanted them all to suffer, he wanted to be liked, he wanted to never be lonely again and if he had to kill his own family then so be it. He took the things hand and shook it. It was warm, like human flesh and blood, perhaps warmer.  
  
"Excellent, I knew you would. Now, friend, I would ask your patience, as we have to collect some more like-minded people who'll be our friends and then we'll make some fireworks to bid adieu to your life of misery and pain."-----------------------A camera focused on a camera anchorwoman as she gave her report from behind the large desk in the studio. Images of flame and firefighters were projected behind her.  
  
"The fire department is unsure at this time as to what caused the blaze in the downtown apartment and in these early hours after the fire has been extinguished department officials do not believe that they will be able to find any such evidence as the damage to the surrounding area as well as the building was far too extensive. Miraculously there were ten survivors, seven teens and three young children, who survived the fire. Unfortunately their parents did not and all the survivors have been confirmed as having no living relatives." The newscaster said.  
  
The image changed to a video feed of the aforementioned survivors, adolescents and children of diverse ethnic backgrounds. The camera focused on one particular dark-skinned boy. He had a sullen face and did not seem overly concerned about his fate.  
  
"As a piece of good news," The anchorwoman continued. "The Brotherhood of Saint Evans has graciously offered to support and care for the survivors. The Government has also agreed to sponsor them through school. There has been talk from locals about organizing a fundraiser for these unfortunates. Over to you Bill."  
  
"Thanks Mitsumi." The anchorman said. "Speaking of the Brotherhood, the High Bishop Mabus (2), leader of the Brotherhood is making a live appearance before the media today. With that story we go live to the capitol of Evrai, Ehvehedo, with reporter Tom Vanderhaden. Tom?"  
  
The image switched and the image of a young reporter appeared on TV screens across the province. He stood before the Grand Church with a multitude of other reporters. The Grand Church, a massive cathedral, was made with marble walls, with huge towering spires that seemed to scrape the clouds. It was perhaps the greatest construct rendered by mortal hand of that age. It seemed a fortress, inviting and awe inspiring.  
  
"Thank you Bill. We had received word yesterday that High Bishop Mabus was going to make a public statement and take questions from the media today. If you'll recall this is the first public appearance the High Bishop has made since he took over for his predecessor, nearly thirty years ago and... And here he comes." The reporter said.  
  
The massive doors opened and the High Bishop stepped out, escorted by two cardinals. A black, stout man in red and gold priestly robes with a large red mitre; he commanded great respect from all who met him. His hair was short and white, his face was lined with age and he wore glasses; with his genial and compassionate face he gave one the impression of a kindly grandfather or uncle. He stood on the podium and a great silence fell over the crowd.  
  
"Good day all," He began, a deep voice filled with confidence, inspiring hope. "As we all know, Yuletide approaches and New Years shall follow not soon afterwards. We must take this time to remember our family and help those who need our aid in this time of celebration. We can, nay must aid all our fellow men and women to create a better tomorrow, for our children. We cannot succumb to hate and through faith shall find the true path to salvation. It is my fondest hope that all peoples, regardless of race or religion, can put aside their differences; wipe the slate clean for the New Millennium. It is the dawning of a new age upon our world and perhaps a new age for all peoples of the world."  
  
This drew applause and cheering form the crowd. Mabus was ever the public speaker and was very charismatic; this public appearance was bound to increase the number of members of the Brotherhood. As the din calmed down the media prepared to ask its questions.  
  
"High Bishop, High Bishop, what is your opinion on the murders in the city of Winlan, the ones that occur in the churches of Saint Evans?" One reporter shouted out first.  
  
"It is regrettable that someone would commit such a heinous act, in one of our churches no less. We are cooperating with the authorities as best we can." Mabus replied.  
  
"What about the prophets, the homeless people who proclaim that the world will face the apocalypse during the New Millennium? Is it true that they are proclaiming Saint Evans as the saviour of the world?" Another asked.  
  
"Who they proclaim as saviour doesn't really matter does it? Besides, I sincerely doubt that the world will end; the whole idea is ridiculous. Also, the Brotherhood of Saint Evans works to creating a new future for the world, not destroying it." Mabus chuckled.  
  
The whole crowd had a good laugh at that, after all the whole idea of Armageddon was simply ridiculous, wasn't it?

* * *

"There are some qualities, some incorporate things, that have a double life, which thus is made a type of twin entity which springs from matter and light, evinced in solid and shade." Edgar Allen Poe, "Silence".  
  
Music: "Decadence of God" (Breath of Fire II)  
  
1)- Sorry oh loyal readers but this mysterious triumvirate must go undescribed for now.  
  
2)- The name Mabus has special significance; check out the prophecies of Nostradamus if you want to know what that significance is.  
  
You know what I really love about this chapter? I know what's going on and you don't muwahahahahahah!


	7. Dark Desire

_Chapter 6: Dark Desire  
_  
Yuletide Day, a day for exchanging gifts, spending time with family and, hopefully, having a good time. Nina awoke and looked outside her window, new snow had fallen on the cityscape once again and all was covered in pure white snow. She got up and got dressed. She wouldn't be spending time with her family, she hadn't spoken with them in a long time and holidays just seemed to bring out the worst in them. However, she did always send them gifts every year, even though she never went back home. She spent holidays with her friends and she felt she should go soon, even though it was pretty early. Ryu was on the couch watching television as he usually did in the mornings; Nina was completely unsure of whether he actually slept or not. Since the incident she hadn't followed him as she didn't want to know what he faced and he always came back, ever the stoic houseguest and she never kicked him out. Nina tried to get him to open up, but he said little about himself and what he did.  
  
She stood behind him as he watched the news, if he was looking for something in particular, waiting for some vital piece of information, she didn't know.  
  
"Ah... Ryu?" She asked tentatively.  
  
Even though he showed no anger, or any emotion at all towards her after the incident, she was still wary when approaching him. He turned slightly and glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, an indication that he was now listening to her.  
  
"I was wondering, if you're not busy, maybe you could come with me, celebrate yuletide with me and my friends." She said.  
  
Ryu shrugged, got up and turned off the T.V. and got up, perhaps the only affirmative answer Nina had gotten all week from him. All though one might think it a bit rude, Nina had quickly learned that Ryu simply cared not for such things, they simply weren't important to him; he was only interested in doing things the most efficient way possible with the least loss of life.  
  
Nina sighed deeply; it was the best she could expect from Ryu. Of course, it was nice that he was coming, that way she wouldn't have to carry all the gifts herself. They went to her car, Ryu carrying the larger packages, and left. Traffic was very light, as most people had left days ago to visit their families and they reached Lastic, Kit and Rick's apartment/Jazz Club rather quickly. They unloaded the gifts they had brought, going through the club's front door. Nina saw that, first, there was a sign on the door advertising a party that evening and, second, that there was activity inside the club itself. This was a little unusual, as Lastic and Kit wouldn't open the club on Yuletide, let alone this early in the day and the private festivities they had were usually held in their apartment above the club.  
  
The club itself was a classic club style reminding one of decades earlier when Jazz and Blues were at their height in terms of musical popularity. Dark colours were used to decorate, however the atmosphere wasn't depressing, but rather soothing and in low light, it could be considered very romantic atmosphere. With a bar to the right for dispensing drinks and a stage in front it was a very convenient layout. Tables were scattered about evenly in the room allowing everyone who sat at them to get a good view of the stage and who was performing there. Currently there was no one in the club except Lastic and Kit who were busy setting up a Yuletide tree on the stage. Decorated with lights, baubles and trinkets it was quite an impressive sight. Nina and Ryu came in through the club's front door, Nina helping Ryu with some of the larger, more awkward gifts.  
  
"Isn't it kind of late to be trimming the tree?" Nina asked from across the room.  
  
Putting the finishing touches on the tree, Lastic plugged it in while Kit stepped back. The tree lit up, shining brightly and beautifully. Lastic and Kit then turned to greet Nina and Ryu.  
  
"Of course it isn't. We have a party to get ready for tonight. Gotta make the place look festive." Lastic said.  
  
"We figure lots of people are going to be hiding in there homes when the end of the world comes next week on New Year, so we'll have a bash tonight as well as on New Years." Kit said joking a bit.  
  
"So who's this? You haven't dumped Joshua have you?" Lastic said nodding towards Ryu.  
  
"What? No, no, no. Do you mind if I wait 'till Rick is up before I explain this?" Nina asked.  
  
"Well in that case may as well wait for Rin and Lenn too."  
  
"They're coming too? You convinced Rin to leave her apartment?"  
  
"Well it wasn't easy, but we do need her tech expertise tonight."  
  
At about that time Rick stumbled into the club, sipping from his coffee mug. He never got much sleep and even with coffee he was a zombie in the mornings.  
  
"He's alive! He's ALIVE!" Lastic cackled like some sort of mad scientist as he quoted from an old movie.  
  
Nina, Kit and Rick looked at him with sort of questioning expressions.  
  
"I've always wanted to say that." He smirked.  
  
Rick responded by giving Lastic a one-fingered salute. Fortunately, being good friends this was all good-natured insults and jokes between them, so Rick's rude gesture wasn't taken seriously. After that it wasn't long before Rin and Lenn showed up. During previous years they had gone from here to Rin and Lenn's place so Nina already had their gifts with her. As Rin set up her equipment for the music that would be played at the party others exchanged gifts and Nina explained Ryu's presence. However, she left out the part about nearly being raped, calling it a mugging instead. She saw no reason to worry them over what might have happened.  
  
-SOL Nina-  
  
Gift giving among friends is always a nice thing, unlike when I used to go to my parents place way back when. My friends don't judge me or try to tell me how to live my life and they actually like the stuff I get them. Of course anything I got Kit was overshadowed by Lastic's gift for her: it was a Beretta 96 Elite pistol, very expensive. Since Kit is a gun fanatic she really liked it and smothered him in kisses for it. It really made me miss Joshua being there, I really wish I could have talked to him.  
  
-End SOL-  
  
After all the other gifts were given, opened and the givers had been thanked, Nina walked over to Ryu, a present for him behind her back. He was sitting in a chair by a table, not very far from the group but definitely removed from it.  
  
"Ryu, I have something for you." Nina said, almost shyly as she gave the present to Ryu.  
  
Ryu accepted it without saying anything. He unwrapped it and removed the gift within the box. It was the Dragon's Tear that Nina had seen in Deis' shop. For some reason, Nina felt that she should get it for Ryu.  
  
"Thank you." He said tonelessly, placing it about his neck. "But I do not have anything to give to you."  
  
"Hey, you saved my life. I'm supposed to pay you back, not the other way around." Nina smiled.  
  
Later that evening the party was in full swing. A great many couples and singles had arrived for the party at he club. Kit and Lastic had sent some fliers around alerting as many people as possible to the party and a rather large crowd had come. Rick was behind the bar selling drinks, wearing a black tie and vest, looking far more debonair than usual. Kit was up on stage, in a ravishing red dress, playing on the saxophone. Rin was next to the bar controlling the music that played along with Kit, she was making sure everything was timed well and things didn't mess up and it wasn't an easy job because of her revealing dress, there were quite a few guys hitting on her. Lenn was sitting at the bar enjoying a drink and Lastic was greeting and socializing with long-time patrons. Nina came up to the bar smiling sweetly at Rick.  
  
"Rick, my usual if you please." She asked, putting money on the counter.  
  
Rick looked at the money and back at Nina.  
  
"You know it's going to cost more than that." He said.  
  
"Awww come on, it's Yuletide."  
  
"Not my fault you like the expensive stuff and I'm not going to lower the price for you. We go through this argument and I win every time, just save yourself the trouble and cough up the cash Nina." Rick said, laughing.  
  
Nina sighed and smiled, Rick was a good guy, not so great with money but you could count on him most of the time. Nina put the money on the bar and Rick handed her a bottle of sparkling alcohol called Schmirnoff, a rather rich, in more ways than one, vodka mix.  
  
Among the din of the party nobody heard new guests enter the club. One in particular, a seemingly dashing and suave gentleman who slipped up behind Nina and put his arms around her.  
  
"Nina, it's been so long. Did you miss me?" He whispered in her ear.  
  
Nina gave him a swift elbow to the gut and he backed away doubling over.  
  
"David, I told you to back off. What is it about the phrase 'I don't want to see you anymore' that you don't understand." She growled at him.  
  
She looked positively angry; neither did anyone around her and the source of their ire was this newcomer, David.  
  
-SOL Nina-  
  
David was my ex-boyfriend; he wasn't really interested in the relationship. He was more or less out to score. The relationship ended badly and I told him simply that I never wanted to see him again. He still comes around to the club every so often looking for me. I really wish I had a restraining order against this guy.  
  
-End SOL-  
  
David stood up, regaining his composure, adopting an arrogant smile as he advanced on Nina once more.  
  
"Aww you don't mean that, babe. I mean you ditched that poser, LaCroix after all." David said.  
  
"He's out of town."  
  
"Sure he is." David smirked.  
  
Ryu was sitting in a corner, observing the festivities, not even enjoying a drink, when suddenly he began to sniff the air as though some odour which had caught his attention. Lastic noticed him and went over to his table.  
  
"Something wrong?" Lastic asked, semi-concerned.  
  
"Yes, there is a demon present." Ryu answered getting up from the table.  
  
At that moment there was a loud slap heard and the entire club went quiet and all present turned to look. Nina had slapped David hard in the face for having been about to make a move on her.  
  
"Hey, maybe you should leave. Or, if you want to put up a fight I can throw you out." Rick said.  
  
"H-hey. She's the one who slapped me." David protested.  
  
"I don't care, you're a trouble maker, David, now get the hell out of my club." Kit said from the stage.  
  
David looked around him and, seeing that everyone was fixing him with malevolent stares he grinned in defeat.  
  
"Guess I ain't welcome here... When you realize your mistake, Nina babe, you know where to find me." He said, blowing her a kiss before leaving.  
  
On his way out he bumped into Ryu; the look that David gave Ryu was one mixed with contempt, hatred and fear. Ryu remained ever expressionless, but seemed more focused on David, as though there were something about the lech.  
  
"Hey, Nina... You okay?" Rick asked as the music started playing and everybody returned their attention to their own business.  
  
"Sure, I'm fine. This has just really got me down, think I'll head home." She replied. "Ryu, you coming?"  
  
"I have things I must do. I'll join you later." Ryu said, heading for the door.  
  
Nina went home on her own, traffic was quite heavy so it took her a while to get back. When she did arrive at her apartment she saw that her door was open. Most people would rush in and most likely get robbed if the thieves were still there. Nina carefully and quietly put down the gifts she had received that day and walked towards the door. She slowly and cautiously walked in, turning on the lights. Someone jumped at her from the left and grabbed her. Reacting quickly, she threw the person off her; employing a martial arts technique that Lastic had taught her. Then she got a good look at her attacker: he was as pale as death, gangly and he had eyes like that of a doll's, glassy and blank. She recognized these traits, she sometimes dreamed of them, remembering her first encounter with the undead creature that Ryu called 'Nikanoru'. Nina was shocked by this realization and did not see a second Nikanoru coming for her. It acted fast, smashing her into the wall, knocking her unconscious. Another walked into the room and seeing Nina at his feet he smiled.  
  
"Always knew you'd fall for me Nina." David smiled.

* * *

"They are the eyes of the Baron and they know your fears." Ishan's Shade (Sengir Bats, Magic: The gathering)  
  
Music: 'Warlock Battle' (Brink of Time CD, Chrono Trigger) 


	8. Wings

_Chapter 7: Wings_

Ryu stood in an alley looking down at several puddles of black ooze on the ground; they were nearly indistinguishable from the ground itself, so no one would actually notice. These had been Nikanoru, the demon seed had been far stronger than the host and had this consumed the body completely. Once the seed was destroyed there would be nothing left of the body. That was the final growth stage of the Nikanoru, when they became completely demon and yet, for fully manifested demons they had been pitifully weak. No better than a newborn Nikanoru. This was not what concerned Ryu, however; this was something to lead him away. The demon scent he tracked from the bar had split off at one point, leading in multiple directions. Since demons, being from the same source, had the same scent regardless of strength, power or type and it was thus impossible for him to track down the leader, so he had simply picked a scent and followed it. It had been a trap or perhaps, more accurately, a distraction to keep him from attacking the leader. He could have attacked him in the bar, but that would have put the innocent bystanders in danger and even if he had killed the demon without such troubles, there had been a room full of people who would identify him to the police as a murderer; being on a wanted list would have hindered his mission, it was simply better, more efficient to kill demons outside of the public view.

Ryu let out a breath as he sheathed his sword. He had no choice, he would have to return to Nina's apartment and re-coordinate his hunt from there. Because the demon had chosen to attack him, he could not simply let it good in this case. If the demon used what appeared to be random tactics, there would be no guarantee that he wouldn't be attacked in public. It was strange, to Ryu anyways, such actions, revealing the demons to the public were not beneficial for either side. Ryu left the alley, heading on his way, his long black coat fluttering in the wind.

-----------------------

The caress a cold of wind awoke Nina. She couldn't see around her for the room was dark. Trying to move, she found she was bound, hand and feet. She also found something else as another chill breeze flowed over her flesh: she was naked. She remembered David, that sick psychotic, standing over her before she lost consciousness. Had he kidnapped her, raped her while she was unconscious?

-SOL Nina-

David was always a creep and a pervert, but he wouldn't have done something like this before, but then I've found that when it involves love or lust, we're capable of lots of things we didn't think we or others could do. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared, but I wasn't so scared that I didn't try to get out of my bonds nor too scared to think about cutting off David's balls with a rusty knife.

-End SOL-

As Nina struggled light entered the room, though it did not have an apparent source. It was a large room with black walls with no adornments. She was lying on some pillows and there were other naked girls beside her. They had grey skin and voluptuous, athletic bodies, but most disturbing was that their heads, their faces were identical to Nina's. These girls stirred and opened their eyes, which were dull and lifeless. Each turned and approached Nina and began to kiss and fondle her. She resisted, struggled, but it only made things worse as these women held her down with more force. Even as they touched her, they never went below her waist, as though preserving her for someone else's pleasure. The warmth of their flesh against hers as they caressed her sickened her; it felt as though the warmth was masking their un-life.

"S-stop it! L-let me g-go! Go away!" She shouted at them as they continued to fondle her.

"So you're awake." A voice said.

David sat, shirtless upon a throne made of an amalgam of flesh and bone. Human faces, twisted in expressions of horror and fear, protruded from the throne. David's skin was unnaturally pale and waxy and he was a very gaunt, dark smudges under his wide, blood-shot eyes. He seemed utterly deranged and more of those undead Nina doubles, acting worse than promiscuous whores, at his side.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" He said, smiling. "My tribute to you, though they are nothing compared to the real thing."

"How are you doing this?" Nina demanded as the undead beings stopped their attentions to her and propped her up on the pillows so that she would be facing him.

"After you left me... You really hurt me you know, you couldn't have meant those things... We're destined to be together..." He began.

All those unliving dolls were paying rapt attention to him, as though hanging on his every word. He was a stalker and he was obsessed, the worst combination in the world and Nina was the target; she couldn't see a way of getting gout of this, but hopefully distracting him might give her time to think of a way to escape.

"What happened after I left you? You weren't like this before." She said calmly, trying to get him to talk more.

"I couldn't eat, couldn't sleep... You... the image of you ate at my heart, burned my soul... we were destined to be together... why couldn't you see that?" He ranted. "You are mine... destined to be mine... my own... my _precious._"

"Riiiiiight... You've watched Lord of the Rings too many times 'Gollum'... Now what happened?" Nina said, only half paying attention, trying to loosen he bonds of her wrists.

If she was some shrinking violet she might try to cover herself instead of escape, but modesty be damned, getting away from that lunatic was the bigger priority. The Nikanoru would be a problem, she hoped against hope that Ryu was coming. She didn't want to rely on him and knew that he wouldn't make it here unless a miracle happened. She could only get David to talk more, keep his tirade going and keep him distracted long enough for her to escape.

"They came... promised me that destiny would be fulfilled, that fate would be satisfied..." He continued

"'They'? Who are 'they'?" Nina asked.

"The light! The bright light promised me salvation... PURIFICATION! They introduced me to 'him' and 'he' showed me so many tricks... so many tools..."

"Arrggh... you aren't making sense. Who's 'he'? Who are 'they'?" She was getting very frustrated with his ranting even though she realized getting him upset or angry was not a good idea.

Sudden movement caught her attention as another woman walked into the room. She was unlike all the others in here because she didn't look like Nina. She had long raven hair and was plumper than Nina. She really stood out, but her skin was still that greyish colour, the same as the rest of the Nikanoru. Nina noticed something else too: David had stopped talking. He was motioning for this woman to approach him. She stood before him and shuddered, not in disgust, but something else. Nina heard a grinding of bones and watched the woman convulse, as she grew taller and a bit shapelier. The fat on her body shifted and rippled as her bust grew and waist shrank. Her hair shortened and grew lighter; cheekbones visibly shifted as the face changed. Nina looked in shock and horror as the woman's face and body became identical to her own.

"Beautiful isn't she? My tribute to you... one of the things I can do, one of the things 'he' taught me. These children I've taken who are reborn into perfection... they love me and obey me. The light... told me to wait before satisfying our destiny, but I made them... my precious... I left them, but I knew as long as Joshua was there you'd never come to me... he wouldn't let you."

'_Fortunately for me, Joshua isn't psychotic like you are.'_ Nina thought.

"Then I'd heard he'd left you... then I knew you could come back to me and I came looking for you..." He continued.

'_How did you know he was gone?'_ Nina wondered.

"And now... you, my precious, and I can become one." He said, completely disrobing.

The Nikanoru, stopped their fondling and caressing and began to untie Nina. Though she was free of her bonds, she had nowhere to run as those undead women surrounded her and David approached. She had only one shot, if he could be distracted, she might be able to escape. She couldn't get the best shot from where she lay, the Nikanoru held her down, applying just enough pressure to ensure she couldn't get the leverage she needed to sit up. He approached close enough and she took her shot, kicking him right in the crotch. However, the reaction was not what she hoped as his genitalia exploded into a black ooze on impact and worse and stranger still, David seemed to fell nothing as he grinned devilishly. The black ooze spread from his crotch as more of it oozed out of his pores. The ooze covered her foot and glued it there. She looked at her leg in horror as the slime spread over her leg. She looked up at and saw him grinning madly.

"You and I are destined to be one." He said calmly.

------------------------------

Ryu stood in the doorway of Nina's apartment looking over the small mess. The door had been forced open and there were signs of a struggle, but for Ryu there was more than that. He could smell the faint stench of the demons that had been there, but since it was fading it would be hard to track. Nina's life was in danger; an innocent life and protecting innocent life took precedence over punishing the guilty. He took the stairs to the roof and looked up at the stars; the moon was right overhead and it was a clear night. Conditions were perfect for what Ryu needed to do. He sat cross-legged and closed his eyes; he began to chant a mantra, to focus his thoughts for what he was about to do was no easy trick. An orb of light appeared above his head, an orb that resembled a serpentine eye. This eye changed directions, looking in many directions and then, as though finding what it sought, focused its sight in one direction and flew off in that direction, leaving a golden trail of light behind it. Ryu opened his eyes, which glowed with the same light that the floating orb did. He rose to his feet, seeming tired, weakened; he shook his head, shaking off his lethargy and looked in the direction the trail of light led. With inhumane speed and godly stamina, he dashed off, jumping great distances from roof to roof following the trail of light that only his eyes could see. When he ran out of roof to jump to he jumped down onto the street, and while such a leap would have broken a normal man, Ryu didn't even flinch as he landed, sprinting off once more in pursuit of his target. His unvarying path led him to a single building, well maintained and rather rich looking in a downtrodden district. There, on the door, the orb of light, the Dragon's Eye, waited for him. The appearance of the building was in fact an illusion through which Ryu easily saw, someone's desperate desire cast for the world to see. However, few would actually look upon this place or even approach it for the scent of death, the aura of corruption and disease compelled all to look away, to avoid this place for generated an unnameable fear in their fragile, weak hearts. Even plague carrying vermin and other such carrion eaters gave this residence a wide berth. Those instincts were natural for mortals who realized not the horror that lay behind the doors; Ryu possessed no such instinct.

As he approached the door, the orb vanished and his own eyes returned to their normal hue. He brandished his blade, holding the sheath in the other and cut at the hinges of the door. The blade (1) easily cut through the hinges and the door fell back. Ryu entered the building, his sword at the ready; the stench of decay and corruption was much stronger inside and had subtle hint of madness in it. As he stepped into an open hall, the stench of demon became prevalent over all others and he prepared for a battle. He needed to get this over with quickly, but rushing into things was a good way to ensure the failure of a rescue mission; it was better for them to come to him. His keen senses heard the shuffling and lurching of several beings coming towards him; the closest was behind him. Without hesitating, he lashed out beheading the attacker with a single strike. He looked down as the head rolled and had he been capable of feeling horror it may have paralysed him as he watched as Nina's head rolled at his feet. To him however, if she could not be saved, then it was better that she died instead of lingering in suffering. He did not have time to contemplate this much as another attacker assaulted him. It was Nina, or rather someone who looked exactly like her and Ryu understood what was going on; this was a necromantic trick, the alteration of dead flesh and bone to make a physical duplicate of a person. Fortunately such unmerciful changes rendered flesh and bone weaker, more fragile and thus such duplicates were not useful as fighters but more as distractions. This made things simpler for Ryu, since the bodies were so fragile. Killing them one at a time would waste time and energy, there was a way to take them all out at once and as they approached their numbers grew increasingly apparent. This didn't seem like a distractive tactic for Ryu, but rather some sick obsession. Sheath in one hand, sword in the other he began to chant. Black lightning dance around him and the sword. He pointed the tip of the sword towards the ground and thrust it downward. A loud thunderclap sounded as black energy spread along the ground consuming the Nina duplicates. The undead things broke apart and disintegrated in the ensuing storm. Once the Nikanoru, now nothing more than ash in the wind, were defeated, Ryu sheathed his blade and proceeded to the next room.

The room was empty except for some large humanoid thing; there was no light so it was difficult to make out. Ryu drew his blade, but didn't strike; there was something odd about this, he could hear two heartbeats, but there was no one else around.

"Someone's bothering us, precious... How rude." The creature said with a deep, cavernous voice

The thing turned around; its flesh seemed as though it had been melted and hardened as it had melted, the face was skull-like, its sharp teeth barred, its nose was gone, a mere hole in the centre of its face and its eyes were simply two dark empty holes. It was a mass of muscle and tendons covered in a thin black sludge; the only thing that made it out to be human was its shape. But most disturbing of all, could Ryu be disturbed that is, was Nina's head protruding from his chest. She was still alive, barely breathing, buried in that Chongyom demon. Ryu would have a hard time defeating the demon as long as Nina was there; he could not go against his orders to protect innocent life anymore than a computer could go against a program.

"The dragon... you've come to take her away from me... they said you would... you are jealous of us... I will protect her!" The thing yelled and snarled.

"You have been consumed by your desire... Creature devoured by sin, the light does not want to save you, only the dark can purify you." Ryu said.

Ryu charged at the demon and dodged at the very last second as the demon brought its fist down upon him. Then he was smashed into the wall as the demon's other arm extended, grabbing Ryu from behind. Ryu never lost his grip on the sheath or the sword and moved quickly out of the way as the demon attacked again. Ryu continued to dodge as he was attacked; he couldn't attack just yet, the openings weren't sufficient to save Nina at the moment, but if things continued like this, he would surely be defeated.

Ryu used his sheath to deflect a blow, side-stepping another he jammed his sword into the abomination's outstretching arm. The blade cut through the arm as it lengthened, the beast howled in pain and Ryu removed the sword as the beast's arm shrank. Ryu saw his opportunity, as the abomination's pain seemed to lessen its hold on Nina as her body became somewhat visible. Ryu charged and leapt upon the things shoulder; quickly chanting he stuck two fingers into its shoulder. The shoulder exploded and Nina was propelled from her prison and landed on the ground. She was still unconscious and most of her body was covered in black slime, but she appeared otherwise unharmed. Ryu leapt down from the monster and began to beat it back and in its weakened state, that was easy. Ryu backed away from the creature and placed himself between the beast and Nina and waited for the creature to make a move. Since it was so obsessed with her it would try to recuperate her and that would be its downfall.

"PRECIOUS!" The thing screamed in rage.

This was the moment Ryu needed; with the thing's defences dropped he struck a single blow, burying his sword deep in its chest. He twisted the blade so that the edge faced upwards and pushed it, cleaving through the beast exiting through its skull. The blade came away unmarred and unmucked and he sheathed the sword, turning away from the falling monster. He turned his attention to Nina; she was undamaged, but she still needed to be cleaned off, as the sludge that covered her body would promote infections by disease. He left the demon corpse to melt and dissolve and he hurried Nina back to her apartment.

It was slower getting back to her apartment than it was finding her mainly because Ryu could not run for fear of damaging Nina. He was able to get her back without incident and without drawing attention to himself. He closed the door and put her in the bath, running the water at a comfortable temperature. He wiped the sludge off her back and suddenly halted, looking at the peculiar birthmark she had along her back; two large markings in the shape of wings were imprinted on her back.

"Ah... R-Ryu?" Nina said groggily.

"You're safe now, I've slain the demon." Ryu said without emotion. "Do you require further assistance?"

"N-no, that's okay, I think I can handle the rest." She smiled a bit.

Back at the demon's corpse a giant of a man stood over it. At least it looked humanoid; it wore a huge trench coat that covered most of its body as well as gloves and dark boots and a fedora. It wore a sort of gas mask over its face and it looked down on the demon's through the red tinted goggles of the mask.

"Analysis complete." It said with a grainy, metallic voice. "Dragon strength estimated at mid-level, compiling data and returning to base."

* * *

"Desire can shape our future; it gives us the drive to advance our technology and fuels our dreams, but it can also consume us becoming an all destroying obsession." -Unknown

Music: 'Gothic Neclord' (Suikoden 2)

1)- If you haven't figured it out yet, this is no ordinary sword. You'll find out just how unusual it is in future chapters.

I wonder if I shouldn't increase the rating of this story to 'R'? I'm not sure if I'll be able to update this soon, but I'll try my best. As to people who are expecting me to review their stories I'm terribly sorry about that and I'll get to it as soon as I'm in the mood and have time. It isn't good to try to read/write when you aren't in the mood.


	9. New Year, New Millenium

_Chapter 8: New Year, New Millennium_

The New Year, as always it was a time for celebration and many were having great parties, but this was a special year, the final year of this century and the millennium. Many feared that the changing of the years would cause great problems with computerized systems because of the date and so spent ludicrous amounts of money ensuring that there would be no problems, many programmers were working up to the last minute to earn their paychecks. Spiritualists were scrounging through ancient texts and prophecies for apocalyptic information, to be able to ensure that there would be life in the new millennium and that God, whatever god they worshipped wasn't going to consign them to death anytime soon. The exception was the St-Evans religion, which continued to work for the good of mankind and dismissed all notions of Armageddon. Even the High Bishop Mabus, the leader of the religion, was working with the homeless on the last day of that year. He was without his ceremonial trappings, wearing casual clothes as he helped feed children and others. Of course the press, what few were working on that day, saw this as a photo opportunity and asked him about his position on many things and of course the question of the apparent impending doom touted by wandering prophets. Mabus merely smiled and turned to the reporters as he began to speak.

"I started out in this world with nothing, I was a homeless orphan, much like these children. I had no education, I was self-taught and I taught myself with scraps of text and replicas of the St-Evans bible. I'm sure you've heard how some of the clergy say that I had a vision from God that pushed me towards the priesthood. It was nothing of the sort, I simply saw my condition and the suffering of others around me and I was determined to do something about it. I approached the priests and applied to the priesthood. They accepted me because they saw my desire to join. I rose through the ranks because of my devotion to God. You do realize what an accomplishment that is, don't you? I'm one of the few people of Negro decent who has reached a high standing position in religion and the only Negro who is the religion head. I don't believe that God would destroy the world so long as it is redeemable and I came this far under the belief this world can be made a better place." He had said.

And that, it appeared, would be all he said on the matter for he never answered another question the whole night as he worked.

-------------

Not all of the St-Evans organization were aiding the poor and destitute, but that was due to the fact that officially, they didn't exist. The Templars, a sect of the St-Evans religion whose purpose was to eradicate demons and other supernatural dangers, was only made public to heads of state, Mayors, Presidents and other such political stations as well as police chiefs and heads of law enforcement were privy to their existence. Of course, that didn't mean they were excluded from the guest list of certain celebratory functions. In particular, the New Years party held by the Mayor of Rubicant (1), a city in the country of Evrai, where quite a few Templars and their commanding officer High Templar Ishan, a direct subordinate to the High Bishop, were invited.

The mayor, a portly man with a thinning hairline, approached High Templar Ishan. He was a surprisingly young looking man, he had a charming face, one you would trust even if you had never met him before. With his short dark hair and suit, he looked like a movie star, only more approachable.

"Are you enjoying yourself, High Templar Ishan?" The Mayor asked.

"Yes I am, but please, there's no need for formality, Mr. Mayor. Please call me Ishan." Ishan said smiling.

"Well then, please call me Reginald, if we're being informal." The Mayor chuckled.

A woman in a slinky black dress approached the two; she was very beautiful with her long red hair, full red lips and emerald eyes. She had a calm smile and graceful walk and it was hard for anyone, man or woman, not to look and admire her grace a beauty. She walked up to the two and handed a glass of wine to Ishan.

"Ah, I don't believe you've met my wife have you Reginald? Her name is Shade." Ishan said.

Shade smiled and nodded at the Mayor and he took her hand and kissed it gently.

"'Tis a pleasure to meet such a lovely young woman. You are a very lucky man, Ishan."

The mayor looked into her eyes and repressed a shudder; her eyes were so blank, dull, like the eyes of a doll. There was simply something about her that sent a chill up his spine. But it would have been terribly rude to show any sign of discomfort untoward his guests and the mayor was an excellent actor, being a politician most of his life it was difficult not to pick up such things. Now he decided to use another political trick to distract them from potentially seeing his discomfort.

"We truly owe a great deal to you for all you've done for the city, master Ishan." He said.

"Oh there is no need to thank us, it is the purpose of the Templars to rid this world of monsters and besides you do not have me to thank, you should reserve that thanks for my students." Ishan smiled. "Speaking of which, here is one now; may I present one of my top Templars, Maia."

The mayor's eyes widened as the woman approached. He was surprised, not by the fact of how young she looked, which was about eighteen, or the fact that she had been called one of his top Templars. It wasn't even the fact that she was obviously of Woren, though that was part of why he was so surprised. Most Woren in this day and age bore few signs of their feline heritage, just ears, eyes and tails; this girl, Maia, however, appeared to be a full Woren with light brown fur and short, golden blond hair in a bobbed hairstyle. Rarer than rare, full-blooded Woren were always the most noticed in a crowd and in Maia's case, her slender, but curvaceous body as well as the short skirt and top that showed off generous amounts of that physique only increased the amount of attention she received. Her appearance was in fact her greatest asset in fighting off demons. Instead of hunting them, she let them come to her, for there were few demons willing to let such a delectable young girl go without having their way with her. However, despite her soft appearance, Maia was no shrinking violet; her strength and combat skills were second only to High Templar Ishan. She was more than capable of taking care of herself. She was the perfect bait, the perfect weapon and thus, the perfect trap.

"W-well then I appreciate all you've done for my city." The mayor said with a slight bow to Maia.

"No thanks needed, I was doing my job." She said to the mayor as she grabbed Ishan. "He's brooding again." She whispered to him.

"Again? Damn, he has got to learn to relax… anyways; I'll go talk to him and I have to talk to you later, so don't go to far." He smiled.

Ishan left the group and headed to the doorway, which lead onto the balcony. The night air was crisp and cool, so most people had opted to remain indoors. One however, chose to enjoy the air; Joshua stood in his formal attire, a glass of champagne in his hand and a pensive look on his face. Ishan let out a sigh and a look of pride appeared on his face for this, his best Templar and his unofficially adopted son.

"You miss her." A statement, not a question.

Joshua said nothing, taking a sip of his wine. His eyes never left the stars, who seemed to shine brighter tonight than any other night previously. The sky was perfectly clear, not a single cloud in the sky; in fact, there were reports of clear and perfect skies across the world that night. He looked up at the perfect full moon and wondered if Nina was looking at it on the other side of the world.

"I know you would have preferred to fight there instead of here, but you would have let your emotions get in the way of your work. If you had any distractions, any doubts it would weaken your ability to fight and that would not be conductive to living a long life in our line of work. You're needed here." Ishan said.

"Needed?" Joshua asked, sneering. "How needed can I be if I spend my time at these ridiculous functions? Our purpose is to hunt down demons, not socialize at parties."

"I'm not overly fond of these gatherings myself, you know. But I get to spend time with my wife and forgot that I'm a monster killer for a bit. If we don't take time to enjoy the world we're saving then what's the point? If we don't take time to ourselves, to enjoy life, how can we keep from becoming the same as the demons we hunt?"

Joshua took another sip of his wine and turned away from the balcony. Ishan was right, moping wasn't going to accomplish anything and he had been fighting demons for so long so he did need a rest. Ishan tossed him his cell phone as they entered the hall.

"Call her. You know you want to." Ishan laughed.

Ishan turned from Joshua and took Maia aside.

"What do you need, master?" Maia asked, in a hushed voice.

"I have a big job for you, something more powerful than any demon you've fought."

"More powerful? What is it?"

"In Winlan, of the Rhapala Region of Windia, the Dragon has been spotted." Ishan said with deadly seriousness.

"The… Dragon…" Maia said in awe. "So you need me to kill it… Am I strong enough?"

"You are, but your usual methods wont work; you'll have to attack him outright, so be careful of bystanders, we don't want any innocents caught in the crossfire."

"Right… Say, isn't Winlan where Joshua's girlfriend lives?"

"Yeah, it seems that the Dragon has made contact and is living with Nina… The forces of Darkness (2) may want to use her to get to him, that's why I'm not sending him."

"This party was getting boring anyways. I'll get ready and leave tomorrow."

----------------

A continent away, the New Years party was in full swing. Lastic and Kit's jazz club was fully packed, everyone enjoying the music and a drink. For Kit there was just something about a saxophone and New Years that went together perfectly. So she, on saxophone, Lastic, on Piano, and Rick on bass guitar, played with passion and heart for all. Behind the stage curtain, Rin hid, making adjustments to the sound so that nothing would happen, well, that and she was hiding from all the guys who were hitting on her. They were only interested in her for her looks, some for the size of her breasts and thus held no interest for her. Lenn was behind the bar, serving drinks and she was more than half drunk herself. She loved music, but she hated not being able to play any herself so she stayed out of the way and kept herself drunkenly happy. Nina was enjoying herself immensely, after the whole affair with David, this was exactly the kind of party she needed. Furthermore, she'd just gotten to speak with Joshua, so all was right with the world, she didn't mention anything about David though, for fear of worrying him or worse. So now, she was enjoying the music, the people, and the fact that no freaky undead monster things were trying to kill her or have sex with her. She wasn't trying to spend her time alone or anything, for this great celebration she'd brought Ryu, but now he was nowhere to be seen. Granted it was crowded and it was noisy, so he wouldn't be easy to find, but she'd asked around and he'd apparently disappeared. Thinking once again what happened to the last time she'd followed him, she asked around some more.

After talking with a somewhat drunk Lenn, she found that Ryu had taken the stairs up to the roof. The stairs, located in a corner of the bar, near the stage lead up to Kit, Lastic and Rick's living space as well as the roof of the apartment. She made her way to the staircase in question, wading through the sea of people. It was a winding staircase and the passage in which it was, was very cramped. She made her way to the roof and she shivered at the winter air, her breath visible in the cold. The slinky black dress she wore was not meant for the cold. She looked up at the perfect full moon and wondered if Joshua was looking at it too on the other side of the world. She looked at the flow of moonlight and it shone upon the one whom she was looking for. The way the moonlight shone upon Ryu as he looked up at the moon gave it all a surreal quality, as though it were some romantic dream or like a panting with a dream-like landscape. Nina swallowed hard at the sight; he was like an angel, sitting there waiting for her alone. She blushed at the naughty thoughts that were triggered by this scene and she shook her head to clear it.

-SOL Nina-

Have you ever felt something about a person but you weren't sure what it was you felt? Not sure if its love or lust or something else? I've always been faithful to Joshua I would never betray him, but I felt that I wanted… no… needed to kiss Ryu, just once, if only to soothe the ache in my heart. I never did… maybe things would have been different if I had. But I knew Ryu could never return those feelings, feelings I wasn't even sure of. So what do you do when you feel like that? You bury those feelings and hope you can get by with the 'what if' and 'if only' scenarios that'll bug you from time to time.

-End SOL-

The time was ending for the year; midnight was closing in. Nina bit her lip with indecision. She argued with herself, but it was a compulsion, like she just needed to kiss him, just once and all the anxiety would go away. She wished Joshua was there, just so he could hold her. She had felt a swelling of feelings building in her ever since she met Ryu, but she had no idea what those feelings were and they had become heightened as she saw him now. There was a superstition that said if a couple kissed at exactly midnight they would be bound together for all eternity. She and Joshua had performed that little ritual the previous year. These thoughts, these feelings, were they real or was this only because Ryu had saved her?

"R-Ryu? I… I-I." She tried to say.

The countdown had begun and was nearing its end.

"10…

9…

8…

7…"

Nina took several steps towards Ryu. He said nothing as she approached, did not even turn to face her.

"6…

5…

4…

3…

2…

1…

HAPPY NEW YEAR!" The cry rang out and Nina could even hear it up there.

Her feelings, those feelings she thought she had, seemed to ebb away in the face of a new sensation; a feeling, like someone walking on her grave, as though Death Herself (3) had touched a finger to Nina's spine. Both Ryu and Nina looked up at the moon. An unnatural quiet seemed to descend on the world as the moon began to change color. Its color grew red and then a moon of blood hung in the sky. Looking at it made Nina feel ill, a feeling deep in the pit of her stomach like she had the absolute certainty that something bad was going to happen to the point that she felt like she was going to throw up. Ryu stood, as though he had been waiting for this, for the moon to change.

"So now it begins…" He said with solemnity.

* * *

"For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. For it is their just due." –Revelations Chapter 16, Bible.

Music: 'Smooth Mana' (Ocremix, Secret of Mana)

1)- Rubicant, a reference to Dante's Inferno.

2)-Remember, 'Darkness' doesn't always equal 'Evil', nor does 'Light' always mean 'good'.

3)- I've always thought of Death as female, ever since I read Neil Gaiman's 'The Sandman'


	10. You're not afraid of the dark, are you?

_Chapter 9: You're not afraid of the dark, are you?_

New Years came and it went and the world didn't blow up, nor did demonic armies rise from the bowels of Hell to devour innocent souls, nor Angels come to cleanse the sinful people of the Earth. The red moon was certainly a surprise to everyone. The moon was sometimes found to be the cause of chaotic psychological behaviour; sometimes even physical illness could be attributed to the moon's phase. Of course such cases were rare; however, with the advent of the Blood Moon, reports from around the world came in of people becoming sick with no explanation and violent outbreaks, normally calm people suddenly becoming berserk and attacking anyone around them. Many scientists said that the moon looked red because the pollutants in the air at night were filtering out all other light but red light or that dust on the moon's surface was only reflecting rd light from the sun; these scientists were unfortunately ignored by the masses. Some people fearing the state of the world, closed and locked their doors and didn't go out unless they had to. The rest decided that they wouldn't be afraid of what might be and, as though trying to give any impending doom the finger, started a myriad of celebrations for their last weeks of vacation.

Many clubs benefited from this sudden boom in partygoers, among which was Lastic, Rick and Kit's jazz club. They revelled in the increased business they got; Lenn was happy to get out more often as well as being able to get Rin out of the apartment. As for Nina, she welcomed the distraction.

SOL Nina-

I thought I would be able to ignore my feelings for Ryu, whatever they actually were. Truth is I had a hard time. I've heard stories about how people who are reincarnated, past lives type stuff, meet and still have the same feelings for each other. Lenn thinks that maybe Ryu and I were once lovers in a past life, but she's very into that stuff; thinks it's romantic, so she's kinda biased. I don't believe in things like fate or destiny. Stuff like that was invented by authors to fill in plot holes. I am my own person, not some recycled soul and thus have my own desires and emotions; my life is not written in stone. That didn't make things any less confusing though.

End SOL-

Nina sat at a table, on the other side of the room from Ryu, nursing a drink and confused as hell. Rin, seeing her friend's distress came over to the table.

"Nina, is something wrong?" Rin asked in a hushed voice.

Rin was very soft-spoken, except with certain individuals, the type who wouldn't leave her alone, with whom she would raise her voice. She was constantly raising her voice with Rick. Perhaps it was because she spoke so quietly, but people she spoke with always took great care to listen to her.

"Wha… no, I'm fine; nothing wrong at all." Nina smiled nervously.

SOL Rin-

Two things I know about Nina; one, she doesn't want other people to worry about her, not her parents, not her friends, not her boyfriend, not anyone. I believe it is because she doesn't want to be a burden to anyone. The second thing about Nina is that she is a terrible liar, thus making the former more difficult. I can understand wanting to handle one's problems by oneself, but there are times when one needs to speak to others.

End SOL-

"You have been sitting here nursing your drink for the past half-hour. You are not fine." Rin stated.

"It's not a big deal, I can handle this on my own." Nina reassured Rin gently.

"I am not offering to help you." Rin said flatly. "I am offering to listen to your problems, nothing more. It may help you decide what to do."

Nina looked down at her drink and then looked at Ryu who was sitting at the other end of the room, quietly and calmly observing everything. Nina back looked at Rin and sighed.

"It's… Ryu. I just… I dunno, there's just something about him… It's confusing." Nina started, grasping for words.

"You have feelings for him." A statement, not a question.

"Yes." Nina replied meekly.

"But you don't know what those feelings are."

Nina nodded, her eyes cast downwards. Rin glanced over at Ryu.

"I suggest you confront him about it." Rin stated simply.

"I can't do that, are you nuts?" Nina exclaimed.

"You cannot lose anything by talking to him about it. He does not seem the type to respond negatively to those kinds of advances. If he responds at all, that is. I have not seen him sow even a glint of emotion. He probably wouldn't do anything if you told about your problems."

"That doesn't make me feel any better." Nina grinned half-heartedly.

"It was not meant to. It was only meant for you to realize that the situation."

"Dropping reality onto a perfectly good dream is very mean." Nina smirked at Rin.

"Reality and dreams are not mutually exclusive. Tell me, do you love him?" She asked suddenly.

"What? I don't know how I feel about Ryu…" Nina started, shocked.

"Not Ryu, Joshua. Even though he is not here, do you still love him? Are you sure your feelings are not a result of Joshua's unavailability."

"No! It isn't like that at all. I love Joshua with all my heart." Nina replied sternly.

"Good, as long as you are sure about your feelings for Joshua, I think you may be able to determine what your feelings for Ryu are." Rin said standing up.

Nina watched Rin wade her way through the crowd. She didn't feel any less confused but she did feel a bit better about it. Maybe she should talk to Ryu about it, though she was sure he would tell her that getting involved with him would be far too dangerous.

Outside the club, a figure approached. There were many people coming and going, so her entrance wouldn't be noticed. Maya thought the club looked nice enough, certainly not a den of evil that would hide the Dragon. She could only hope that the Church would pay for any damage ensued; after all these people couldn't be knowingly involved with a monster like the Dragon. Then again, she didn't know these people, so it was impossible to tell what they were really like; they could be brainwashed servants of the evil beast. It was really difficult for her to think that anyone would willingly follow something as evil as a dragon.

She walked in the club and looked around. It was festive, the music was pretty good and people were enjoying themselves; definitely didn't look like they were housing the source of all evil. She spotted her quarry fairly easily; a dark brooding man with blue hair being relatively easy to spot after all. She went to the bar; the guy serving drinks was actually kind of cute, with his confident smile.

"Can I get you anything?" Rick asked Maya.

"Just water, thanks."

"Can I ask you something?" Rick asked with a sly smile on his face.

Maya looked back at him, with a raised eyebrow and a questioning smile.

"Did it hurt when you fell from heaven, angel-girl?" He asked.

Maya looked at him and giggled.

"Awww, that's cute. You're really sweet and I'd love to hang out with you, but I'm working now." She said, placing a hand on his cheek.

"Working?" He whispered to himself as she turned away.

Across the room, Ryu was sniffing the air, as though he had just caught the whiff of something but couldn't quite pick it up again. Lastic, noticing this walked over to him.

"Something wrong Ryu?" Lastic asked.

"There is something… no… someone here who has been touched by demons, but is not a demon themselves. You should move." Ryu stated flatly.

Lastic was about to ask why when Ryu simply shoved him out of the way and grabbed the dagger that was flung towards him. The point of the dagger was barely a centimetre away from Ryu's right eye. Ryu dropped the dagger and charged towards Maya, unsheathing his blade, slashing at her. Lastic didn't eve see him move through the throng of people. Ryu's blade sliced through Maya's coat, but she was no longer in it. A deafening silence came over the room, the music stopped playing and it seemed everyone held their breath. Maya stood on one of the tables, dressed in black, like a classic ninja of some kind.

"Attention ladies and gentlemen," She began. "I am terribly sorry to interrupt your merrymaking, but this gentleman and I must battle to the death now. For your own safety I ask that all non-combatants leave the premises immediately."

She materialized three throwing daggers between her fingers and prepared to fling them at Ryu. The crow just stood or sat there, their faces agape in horror.

"Well what are you waiting for?" She asked. "RUN LIKE HELL!"

That caused the people to panic. They rushed out of their seats and streamed towards the exit. Ryu stood still and the flood of people flowed around him like water. Nina, Rin, Lastic, Kit, Rick and Lenn didn't leave, but they did move away from the two. Maya threw her daggers with expert skill, but Ryu knocked them aside with a single sweep of his sword and then charged her. Maya brought out a short sword and blocked his strike, then brought out another short sword to strike him down, but Ryu blocked with his sheath. The two struck out at each other, Ryu using his sheath like a second sword, but neither one was able to get the through the other's defences. Maya dropped and tried to catch Ryu with a sweeping kick, but Ryu jumped back. He charged and struck with a vertical slash; Maya flipped over Ryu as his sword came down and he only ended up slashing the table she was standing on, slicing it in two. Thinking to end it, Maya struck out at Ryu, his back facing her. Without turning around he blocked her blade with his sheath, then whirled around trying to catch her on his sword, but to no avail as she back flipped out of his reach. He attacked her again and again, but she back flipped out of his reach. As she back flipped once again, she threw a dagger at him, forcing him to stop and lean back to avoid the projectile. She came to a crouching position and waited for Ryu to try and strike again.

"All right, enough with the fancy flipping." Kit snarled as she held a gun to the back of Maya's head. "Now what the hell do you think you're doing, trashing my club like that, bitch?"

Maya said nothing and smiled. She slid back, behind Kit, who fired her gun, missing Maya by a hairsbreadth. Maya did a hand stand, wrapping her legs around Kit's neck and then tossing her to the ground with just enough force to knock her out.

"KIT!" Lastic cried out.

He attacked Maya with fists, feet and fury, but was no match as she blocked every pucn and kick. He was a very good martial artist, but his skills and Maya's were vastly different, it was like comparing the motor functions of a baby and an adult. Maya beat him back easily, but did no lasting harm to him; he would only have bruises.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot allow anyone to get in my way." She stated coldly.

A look of surprise dawned on her face as Ryu suddenly appeared before her. She tried to jump back, but he was able to slice off her arm just below her elbow. Maya didn't even scream; she just looked at the bloody stump in shock. The rest of her appendage had fallen to the ground completely inert. Ryu dashed towards her in an attempt to finish her off, but a giant of a man appeared before Maya, blocking Ryu's path. The giant wore a black trench coat and hat, as well as a mask with red tinted goggles.

"Unit has sustained heavy damage. Fighting capabilities decreased fifty percent. Continued combat would result in loss of life of Unit. Aborting mission." The giant said in a cold mechanical voice.

In a small explosion of light and sound Maya, her cut appendage and the giant disappeared. The explosion knocked Ryu and Lastic of their feet. Lastic jumped to his feet and raced to Kit's side, seeing if she was all right. Ryu rose to his feet dusting himself off looking completely nonchalant about the whole thing.

"Okay… What the HELL was that?" Rick demanded.

"Ryu, are you okay?" Nina asked as she rushed over to him.

"I am undamaged. That was an assassin coming for me. My presence here has put you all in danger, this is only the beginning."

"So what are you gonna do?" Kit asked as Lastic helped her to her feet.

"As I said, my presence is putting you in danger. Further more, I am no longer making an effective assault against the demons. Time is growing short, so I must leave." He said in perfect calm.

The look on Nina's face was a mixture of concern, shock and sorrow.

* * *

Music: 'Magus (decay of Hope)' (OCRemix, Crono Trigger)

Author notes: Bleah, so tired. And I had writer's block, so I think this chapter didn't come out as well as it could have. On a lighter note, I have fanart! Check out my author profile to see links to the fanart that's been done for me.


	11. Preparations

_Chapter 10: Preparations_

In wars, both secret and public, there are soldiers and these soldiers must train to increase their abilities and to ensure their abilities remain sharp. The sect of the St-Evans religion called the Templars fought their war against demons in secret, taking orphans and children with special powers and training them to destroy beings far more and less than human.

The training hall, a secret facility in the Evrai country, was created in order to train new recruits as well as housing the thousands of Templars who were part of the sect. The main hall was an area of the facility that had many combat training devices; many students trained there daily, groups of students were put through their routines until they all moved in near perfect synchronicity as a group; all under the watchful eyes and careful instruction of their masters and the masters were in turn watched by the High Templar, Ishan.

He watched them from the control room above, through the glass he analyzed everything: who would be appropriate for which assignments, who would be better as a teacher than a field agent and other such considerations. A slight hum and vibration in his left breast pocket interrupted his thoughts and he reached into the pocket to retrieve his cell phone and flipped it open.

"Ishan here." He answered. As he listened, his expression grew anxious, almost fearful. His tone did the same as he replied, hints of anger slipped into his voice as well. "How is she? …. Are you sure? …. Listen to me, don't let her into Maia's room. …. I don't care how you do it… Then have someone in the room with them, don't leave them alone together… Yes I know who she is; do you know who I am? …. I don't care, make up an excuse as long as she is not left alone with Maia. Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear?"

He flipped the phone closed and let out a deep breath. His grip on the phone increased, as though he would break it. He put it back into his pocket and the n left the room.

He had called for all available Templars, trainees and teachers to the auditorium: a room where events concerning the entire population of the Training Hall could be addressed. The hall at this time was packed to capacity, the people murmured in confusion, for Ishan would never call a general assembly unless it was important and when it was important it was usually bad news. He stood before the audience and he did not look happy in the least; the general mood of the audience seemed to fall.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Ishan began. "About a day ago, one of our own was critically wounded in battle: Maia Roudan."

The audience exploded with outrage, shock and surprise, demands of who was the offender. Ishan motioned for quiet and the hall silenced almost immediately.

"She was wounded fighting one of our greatest foes, the harbinger of destruction: the Dragon. She was in critical condition, but is now recovering in a hospital. This event should not discourage us! Ours is a divine mission, to protect the world, to hunt down the monsters who would harm it; falling in battle is, unfortunately, a likely occurrence in our line of work. We must not let these occurrences get us down, God is on our side and He gives us strength. Because our cause is just, because our faith is strong, we will ultimately TRIUMPH!"

The room erupted in applause and cheers; the Templars, both trainees and veterans took heart at his words. They would redouble their efforts; they would not let an abomination such as the Dragon to defeat them.

"In order to put an end to the Dragon once and for all, I will be taking a squad of our elite Templars with me to end the menace of the Dragon. All of you, take heed of this; through our strength we will triumph, return to your training and know that the world is in good hands." Ishan finished his speech.

The very air seemed charged with energy as they left, eager to continue their training. Joshua, however, had not said a word, had not been jubilant like the others throughout the announcement. He approached Ishan, a disapproving expression on his face.

"Master, why did you send Maia? You know I'm stronger than she is; the Dragon is not something we should mess around with. I'm the best Templar here and you know it. So why, why send her? She was hurt; it should have been me!" Joshua said furiously.

"There is a very good reason why I didn't send you. The Dragon is in Windia." Ishan stated bluntly.

Joshua looked at Ishan in horror as the significance dawned on him.

"That's right, the Dragon is staying with Nina. Now do you see why you would not have been a good choice for this mission?"

"No I don't. Isn't that an even better reason to send me? Nina is in danger every second she remains in the company of that… that abomination!"

"You would have been overly emotional, distracted, unfocused. You would have been more concerned with protecting her than you would have in defeating him. He would have killed you in that state. Our orders are to take him alive this time."

"What? But, sir…"

"I have my orders, as do you."

"Sir, please, take me with you. I swear, I wont be a burden to the mission. I will get the job done."

Ihsan hesitated; he looked at Joshua long and hard, thinking of what he should do.

"Are you sure about this?" He asked finally.

"As sure as I ever could be."

"Alright then. We'll be leaving in a couple of hours, so get ready."

-------------------

The number of revelers had been on the decrease for a while and finally business had returned to normal levels for most nightclubs and social hotspots around the city. Kit, Lastic and Rick's club was closed for the day. It gave them a chance to clean up after the attack on Ryu the other night and to take a break from managing the club; it had become too much of a good thing, all that business. The club also made a good place to gather and discuss Ryu's present situation and how they could help him.

"This… this is silly. Think about it, if they are after him now, wont they be expecting him to go the airport? I mean it's kinda obvious that he would start traveling, isn't it?" Nina said with a kind of nervous tone.

"Maybe, but what can we do? Ryu seems pretty adamant about going." Lastic said, his arms folded across his chest.

"Well, its not like we could afford a ticket for him anyways and we'd never get his sword passed the metal detectors. Maybe it would be better for him to saty here. He could fend off the monsters." Nina interjected, she sounded almost desperate.

"Time is running out. I cannot afford to be defensive. Your help is appreciated, but I cannot stay here; it would endanger your lives." Ryu said in a monotone.

"Look, Nina, I don't want my place to become a battlefield. The best we can do is to help Ryu to get where he's going." Kit said.

"But…" Nina tried again.

"I've hacked into the Windia National Airport mainframe and booked him a flight. Now he doesn't have to worry about paying for the trip." Rin said as she finished printing a document.

"What? I'm all for helping him, but that's going to get us into serious legal trouble!" Lenn admonished Rin.

"I wont get caught." Rin replied calmly, adjusting her glasses.

Nina glared at Rin out of the corner of her eyes, almost saying 'you're not helping'.

"He still won't get that sword through." Nina repeated.

"Not a problem actually. I'm going to be one of the security guards working there on the day of the flight. Rin made sure she booked his flight the day I was going to be there." Rick said.

"But…" Nina tried again.

"Nina…" Ryu said, suddenly standing right in front of her. "You have been a great help to me and my mission. However, you should never have gotten involved. I was remiss in keeping my presence a secret and that has endangered your life. It is for the best that I leave."

-SOL Kit-

Nina looked so depressed. I know it had to be said, but… maybe it was a little harsh to put it that way? I'm not sure if Ryu was right, maybe things would have been worse if we hadn't gotten involved, maybe they would have been better. I can't say now anymore than I could say then.

-End SOL-

"Okay… Ryu needs to get things ready and doesn't have to leave for a few days." Lastic said. "Nina and I will see him off. I don't think anything will happen and if something does, I'm not sure if we'll be able to help, but I want Nina to take one of Kit's guns, just in case. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, all right." Nina agreed reluctantly.

Lastic sighed deeply, he had a bad feeling about this, but it did seem to be the best course of action. He could only hope that his feelings were nothing to be worried about.

------------------------

The girl shivered in fear, as did many in that dark and dingy room. It was quite spacious and very cold. There were many children all huddled in a semi-circle and before each of them was a small mat with various things, things each of them had stolen. They didn't have a choice, if they didn't steal, the master would beat them or worse. Some of the older children had larger items and even pieces of electronic equipment, but many had stolen wallets, cell phones and other smaller things. The girl had not been able to steal anything; she simply wasn't good at it. She had nothing on the little mat before her and the master would be mad at her, she was going to be punished.

A large man walked in, a greedy, malevolent pig of a man; that was the master. He started examining the stolen goods at the far end of the room, far away from the girl. She shuddered nervously, she was afraid; she didn't want to be punished. She heard a slight rustling and looked next to her; a young boy about her age was moving half of the things he had stolen over to her mat. He looked up at her and winked at her, smiling. That boy had been her friend for a while now, she was grateful that he was there for her, no one else was.

"Hrmph… What's this?" The master growled coming up to her mat. "Trying ta pull a fast one on me?"

He grabbed the girl and lifted her off the ground. She cried out in pain and the boy tried to help her.

"She didn't do anything wrong!" The boy shouted.

"This little mouse turd didn't steal anything, I saw you put your stuff on her mat. So you're gonna be punished too. Maybe I oughta sell the brat, she's a full Worren, should fetch me a pretty penny. Definitely a hell of a lot more than she's getting me now… huh?"

They all looked up as a shadow streamed through a skylight above. A figure was above them and crashed through the glass, a large sword in his hand. As he landed he slashed at the master, making a great bloody gash in his back. The master screamed in agony and tossed the girl away, the boy caught her and they both tumbled to the ground.

"Putrid filth." The swordsman snarled. "Using children for your own twisted ends. In the name of the Templars of St-Evans, I will gladly cut your soul from your body, sending it to the deepest pit of hell."

"Templar? HA! Do you know who I am you little shit?" The master laughed.

"Yeah, a dead man." The swordsman replied, skewering the master through the throat.

With the master dead, the children were free. The swordsman turned to the children and looked at them with a worried expression.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Maia, are you okay?" Someone called out to her.

Maia awoke and opened her eyes groggily. It had been all a dream. No, not a dream: a memory of when she was little. She looked around and saw that she was in a hospital; she remembered, the Dragon had severed her arm. She looked over to her right arm and saw that it was in a device from her elbow down. She couldn't feel her arm, but knew that the machine was helping to reattach it. They must have gotten her here before the arm could no longer be reattached.

"Hey…" A voice called her from her reverie.

She looked to her side to see Joshua sitting there, looking at her, smiling gently. He had always been there for her, since they were little, from the moment he'd tried to help her by giving her half of the things he stole in order to save her from being punished. Then, the swordsman, Ishan, had saved them all. She was grateful to them both, she owed them everything and now… she'd let them down.

"Hey." She said wearily.

"How are you doing?" He asked.

"I've been better." She smiled.

Joshua was about to say something further when loud voices from outside the room interrupted them. The voices were loud, but not loud enough to be properly understood. Maia recognized one as Master Ishan, the other, she didn't recognize. Were they arguing about her? Was there something wrong? Was it about her failure? The voices quieted and Ishan entered the room; he did not look happy.

"What's going on?" Maia asked Joshua nervously.

"Dunno." He shrugged.

"Master Ishan? I… I'm sorry… I failed you." Maia said.

Tears came to her eyes; Ishan was the man who saved her, who had taken her in, practically raised her and she was repaying him with failure. Ishan's face softened, a gentle smile came to his lips.

"You didn't fail, you did the best you could. If anyone is to blame, it's me for not training you well enough." Ishan replied

"No master…" Maia began.

"Now stop that. There's no sense in casting blame here. We just came to see how you were doing, not lay any guilt trips." Joshua interjected.

"Right." Ishan chuckled. "Now get some rest. I expect you to return to your duties once you're healed."

Maia nodded and closed her eyes; she was rather tired. Joshua and Ishan walked out.

"Master, what was that about, that argument outside the room? Who were you arguing with?" Joshua asked.

"I was arguing with the High Priestess. We had a… difference of opinion on Maia's treatment. Nothing to worry about. Now, yo utold me you knew where the Dragon was headed?"

"Yes, a short while ago, a hack attempt into the National Airport. A flight was booked. We believe it was Him."

"Are you sure?"

"… Yes."

"Fine, don't tell me how you know. We'll take him down just before he beards his flight."

"But… in public?"

"We no longer have the option of stealth… we don't have any more time. We can't waste resources on stealth, especially not with the Dragon, not any longer."

* * *

Music: 'Rena Landford of Arlia Village' (Ocremix, Star Ocean: A second story)

Author Notes: Sorry it took me so long to get this done. I've been running around with a lot of other writing projects. It seems people like my writing so much that they'll give me stuff in exchange for my writing something for them. Enjoy the chapter and as always, comments are appreciated.


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